S-Class
by Divinion
Summary: [Complete] Gray, Loke and Cana. Two years ago, the three were inseparable. This is the story of Team Pervert, and Cana's quest to finally become an S-Class wizard.
1. Drink to Good Fortune

Long before Lucy had joined Fairy Tail, long before Natsu had claimed her small apartment as his second home, there was another consistent invasion of privacy.

Cana opened the wardrobe wide, her eyes gleaming mischievously as she ran her fingers across the fine material. "Why does someone who never wears clothes have so _many_?" she questioned, pulling on the nearest crisp white jacket and debating which one she would try on today. This was a wardrobe that she knew well, it was a house that she felt as comfortable in as her own, but it never ceased to amaze her that her friend's stripping habit had done little to impede his fashion sense.

"Maybe he's just looking for one that'll stay on," Loke shrugged, his voice muffled as his head buried underneath the bed. He scanned the area for a while before once again pulling himself out, sighing as he glanced around the room. "Seriously, how can such a pervert not have any good porn?"

Cana laughed, pulling her arms through the jacket and watching her fingers disappear inside the long sleeves. "He did tell you that you'll never find any," she grinned.

"I did." Both Loke and Cana turned suddenly, realising that their friend had once again returned home and was standing in his doorway. They noticed the familiar knotted brow, the look of mild annoyance which had become all too familiar as his two closest friends continued to plague his life. He was also without clothes. "It was at the same time I told you to stay out of my place," he reminded them, walking through and trying to ignore they were even there.

"Yes, and _I_ told _you_ that I bring you booze," Cana announced, bouncing back across the room and dragging across the giant bucket of bottles. "C'mon! Ice me ice me ice me!" she grinned, making the final heavy push and kicking the beverages in front of her friend, looking excited.

Gray tried to hide his smile, tried to glare at Cana for her and Loke's complete disrespect, but he knew that her heart was in the right place. After all, he had helped her perfect her own ice card only a couple of months earlier and he knew without a doubt that if she wanted to she could have cooled her own drinks. He suspected even Loke possibly could have if he had access to the correct rings, but Gray still found his powers confusing and rarely used in plain sight. Even when the three of them went on their missions, Loke's magic would typically remain unused. Gray agreed to casting his ice this time, knowing that after the day he had had he could really use a cold beer, as he put his hands against one another over the bucket and twisted his magic around the bottles carefully in brilliant patterns. Somehow Cana and Loke knew exactly when he needed the company and the alcohol, particularly the times when he was reluctant to ask for it.

"Yey booze!" Cana cheered, picking up the nearest three bottles and throwing two of them towards her male companions.

Loke caught the bottle expertly, pulling off the cap with a hiss as he kept his eyes on the ice before him. "Your magic is getting stronger," he commented briefly, glancing at the intricate shapes and patterns that had been created in such a simple request.

Gray awkwardly scratched the back of his head, feeling exhaustion wash over him. "Yeah, Erza's been dragging me and Natsu into her new S-Class training," he said, twisting his aching shoulders. "She's been taking this whole 'S-Class' thing way too seriously."

"Well, it is pretty serious, you know," Cana shrugged as she fell back onto Gray's bed beside Loke, crossing her legs. For three years she had been struggling to become S-Class, and all three times she had failed. The first year, even she had to admit that she hadn't felt ready to face the sheer force of the trials. Two years ago Erza had swam into lead. Last year, Mirajane. This year, Cana was determined that victory would be hers but it was no surprise that Erza was trying to build her two favourite protégés into her rankings and had taken their training just as seriously as her own, if not more so. "I guess I need to start thinking about who my partner will be this year…" she mused to herself.

"Huh? You think they'll pick you after fucking up three times?" Loke asked.

"OF COURSE THEY'LL PICK ME AGAIN YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!" Cana yelled at the top of her lungs, leaning back and throwing her legs into fierce kicks towards the secret celestial spirit and somehow not spilling a single drop of the alcohol. "You were the one that screwed me up last time!"

Loke ducked out of her way, pushing her back across the bed and feeling a little defensive. "They found my weakness," he frowned.

"Your weakness is half the population!" Cana hissed, remembering how Mirajane had so easily been able to bat her eyelashes at Loke. "Not that you did _much_ to help anyway." She folded her arms across her chest, blowing a stray hair from out of her face.

"Whatever," Loke shrugged, though he knew that he would always hold back the true potential of his magic around his friends. If that potential still existed anymore. It was difficult to tell what he was capable of anymore, but at least every day walking on Earthland felt less painful and more bearable. He surrounded himself with pleasant distractions, mostly of the female variety, but magic was something he could never fully let himself become immersed in. "Why don't you put Gray's training to good use and pick him then?"

Cana looked up at Gray. "He fucked up the year before."

Gray almost fell off his seat. "What the hell did you expect me to do against _Erza_?!"

Cana sighed, looking away. She had to admit that she didn't know what more she could have expected. She was the S-Class candidate and her partner was only supposed to be a back-up. She knew that in the previous two years she had relied on her teammates too much because she didn't have the confidence that she had what it would take to be S-Class. "I'm gonna do it this year," she gripped her ankles tightly, a look of determination flaring in her eyes. "I'm not gonna fuck up anymore. I _have_ to become S-Class, and I only have a month to prepare…" she said, pulling on her deck of cards and placing one particular card between her fingertips, staring at the crisp black and white scrawling.

The boys looked at each other and grinned. They had been in Cana's company for long enough to know she had the potential to be one of Fairy Tail's most powerful wizards, they had both witnessed her sheer power first-hand, and unlike Mira and Erza she could do it in a way that wasn't so terrifying. Her power had a comforting sense of warmth that they all knew the elites could benefit from. "You've got it this year, Cana, no sweat," Loke said.

Gray nodded and agreed, but noticed how she still refused to take her eyes from the single card resting between her fingertips. "What's that?" he asked.

Cana twisted the card in her hand, showing her friends what she had been spending such a long time trying to assess. The boys both blinked in confusion, leaning forwards and trying to read the tiny writing that was scribbled in front of them. It looked nothing like one of the cards that Cana usually had in her pack, but it still looked incredibly familiar. "Is that a guild mission?" Loke asked, pulling the card out of Cana's hand at her vague gesture and squinting as he tried to make sense of it. The faded white background and black writing were more familiar to them all than even Cana's cards. "It's so small… wait…" he tilted the card, realising that it moved slightly at his touch.

"It's a visual feed," Cana confirmed his suspicions, taking another small swig of the bottle in her hand. "The real mission is still on the noticeboard in the guild."

"This is an S-Class mission…." Gray breathed, looking back at Cana in disbelief. Now he understood why she had only taken an image of the paperwork and not taken the paper away. They would have quickly noticed the missing request and Gray hated to think what punishment would follow, though he still didn't understand the meaning behind the card. "Why do you have this?" he asked.

Cana looked back at them both, her eyes sharp as she watched her beloved friends with admiration, placing far more faith in their courage than her own. "I know that I have what it takes to be an S-Class mage. I know that by now I should be doing missions just like these already, but the last three years have failed and I know the reason why is because deep down I don't believe that I can really achieve this. If I can take this mission, if we can succeed in this, I have absolutely no reason to doubt myself. But I need my backup, right?" she grinned at them both, hoping that they wouldn't look at her as if she was some kind of child for needing this kind of encouragement.

Loke pushed back his glasses as they shimmered in the light. "You know we've got your back, always," he assured her.

She grinned, feeling instantly more relieved. "We can be like team shadowgear. But more drunk. And definitely more perverted," she told them, her eyes sparkling intently.

A smirk crossed Loke's face. "And with even more of a love triangle," he said, not even attempting to hide the way that he was looking up and down across Cana's body.

"See when you say things like that, that is exactly why half of the guild thinks we're fucking," Gray scolded them both, though he did have to see the humour in it. After years of Cana's company and months of Loke's, he had become somewhat desensitised to their blunt and highly sexualised nature.

Loke had also become used to this, obviously, as he briefly shrugged. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Girls aren't going to chase over you if they think that you're fucking me," Cana reminded him, almost sounding extremely serious. After all, Loke without having female company was poor company in general, and she suspected that the less women he had the more chance he would try and fawn over her, and while she loved the attention and found him incredibly attractive, there was a side to their relationship that she enjoyed being platonic. If you could call their three-way twisted relationship, with all of its awkward moments and flirtations, 'platonic'.

"True," Loke shrugged again, giving Gray a sidewards look and a smirk. "There's a few that would go for the 'yaoi' thing, though."

Cana put the bottle quickly to her lips to stop herself from making some kind of involuntary squeal, though she did murmurer something along the lines of "Totally ship that" into her drink.

Gray chose not to give either of them a response to that. He had learnt that he couldn't even deny his two friends when they were determined, and the last time he had claimed anything against their advances he'd found himself pinned down by both of them and the rest disappeared into an awkwardness he didn't want to repeat. He was by far the most innocently minded of the three, but by most of Fairy Tail's standards they were all as bad as each other. "So what's the mission?" he asked, leaning over and taking the card back out of Loke's hand and glancing at the mission in more detail.

Cana had to admit that when it came to the mission itself she didn't know all too much about, and waved her hand as she told him "Something about some demon attacking a town or blah blah blah. It was one of the lowest jewel on the board so I figured it must have been one of the easiest ones."

Gray's skin instantly went pale. He looked at the card, the image of the mission wavering in shaking hands as the unexpected flashbacks hit him. "We can't… we can't do this mission," he said slowly, reading and re-reading every word on the paper. He had hoped to see something that could convince him, something that could slow the way that his heart beat heavily in his chest, something to calm his breathing and stop his thoughts returning once more to that fateful night in the coldest reaches of Isvan. He was shaking too much to even read the words in front of him.

Loke and Cana looked at him, surprised by the sudden change in heart. "Huh? Why not?" Loke asked.

"You know I'm going to win the S-Class trials this year," Cana reminded him. "This is just a month early…"

"Then wait another month!" Gray snapped, pushing the card back to Cana with a cold look in his eyes they could usually so easily melt. "Just don't take this one. Anything but this one."

"Do you have any idea how hard it was to get this mission?!" Cana exploded, pulling the card back to her chest and glaring at him. "Gray I'm asking for your help. I'm not being an idiot here, I could just go and do this by myself but I want you guys to be there and back me up. I want to do this, I _need_ to do this. You know how important these stupid trials are to me. I don't… I don't think I can take failing four years in a row…" she said, large brown eyes begging him to see her desperation.

He kept his mouth shut, lips twisting into a thin line as he couldn't bring himself to say anything either way. He couldn't let her go alone, but the idea of facing a demon terrified him.

"Why don't you do one of your fortune tellings, Cana?" Loke suggested, seeing the uncertainty in Gray's eyes. "Would that make you feel better about it?"

Gray frowned. "Aren't they sometimes wrong?"

"They're never _wrong_!" Cana snapped, a little offended that her magic would be so belittled. "Just some people are _idiots_ and don't know how to interoperate them correctly. But let's give it a shot, shall we?" she beamed, already twisting her deck of cards between her fingers, twisting the occasional card around and making sure that the deck was fully mixed. As one great finale she threw them into the air, watching them scatter around them, spin wildly before folding carefully back into his hands.

Realising that she was mesmerising her audience, a grin crossed her face. It was good to see that she could impress the boys with more than just her breasts and her alcohol, and her card magic was something that she actually felt proud of. Fortune Telling had been what had helped her gain her place in the magical world and though she didn't practise the art as often as she used to anymore, she felt comfort from the cards as they slipped through her fingers. It always paid well, too, which was a bonus. There would always be some lonely spinster or desperate businessman wondering if there was a better future. "Alright, let's go," she announced, pulling the three of them into a triangle on Gray's bed and placing the mission card in the middle of their bodies. "Right, let's see, what will happen with this S-Class mission?" she asked her cards, breathing the question to them and watching as the pack glowed gently.

She spread the deck in front of her, looking at her friends and asking them "Pick a card each."

Gray and Loke looked at each other uncertainly, both leaning forwards and accidently both reaching for the same card. They glanced at each other, unable to put into words the coincidence that had happened, but frowning as they Gray backed down and reached for another card, allowing Loke to keep to his original choice. Cana looked at them both questioningly, unable to put into words the coincidence that she had just seen. She cleared her throat awkwardly as she instructed them to put the cards face down in front of themselves. "Those cards you have are your personal futures," she said, pulling on a card for herself and putting it front of herself too. "Which are apparently very aligned, but we'll see. Now, Gray, turn over your card," she told him, knowing that as he had the most reservations, he could be the first to volunteer.

Hesitantly, he did so. He didn't understand the symbol, but looked up at Cana for an explanation.

She took a deep breath. It hadn't been the good news she had expected, and she did the best she could to hide the disappointment in her eyes. She told herself that for Gray it may not ever be a pleasant adventure if he was instantly filled with doubts and so it was worth moving swiftly on. "So… This card… It means that there is an important lesson to be learned" she commented, remembering that the most negative of interpretations were from upside down cards and his was clearly facing the wrong way. "It will be a difficult lesson, however…"

"Cool, what's mine?" Loke asked absently, going to lift his own card.

"Don't touch that!" Cana scolded, leaning over and turning it over for the impatient celestial wizard. Another upside-down card. "This card is connected to the past. Usually it means nostalgia, or meeting someone from your past. But in this way, it means dwelling on something negative."

Loke and Gray both frowned, unable to look at each other. This had been the card that they had both been eager to grasp, and it fitted both of their guilt ridden history perfectly to the point where the very idea of dwelling on the past filled them with terror, having to try their hardest to not shiver.

"And mine…" Cana pulled on her own, twisting it over. "Oh for fucks sake!"

Loke blinked, not expecting her to curse her own beloved cards. "What is it? What does it mean?"

Cana sighed angrily. "Another upside-down card…" she murmured, remembering all she could about this particular interpretation. "Usually, when this card is the right way up, it means pride, a feeling of doing something well. Upside down…. Guilt. Regret…"

Gray and Loke both looked at Cana, lost. Though Gray may have suspected this mission would have gone terribly wrong, he took no joy in finding her fortune had turned into something so horrific. He frowned, not wanting to shout 'I told you so' from the tops of his lungs but still wondering on the details they had had the briefest snippets into.

"Just turn the deck around, Cana!" Loke exclaimed.

"I can't just turn the deck around, idiot!" Cana yelled back at him, holding her cards protectively. "Ok… the mission itself…" she said, still determined that despite all of the individual negativity so far there would be some goodness to be taken. She needed this mission, she needed to be S-Class. She couldn't even tell Loke and Gray how much she deeply needed to know that she was good enough to go into the higher rankings, to stand side-by-side with her father and finally feel his love. With a sigh she prayed to her cards, hoping that she would be a little more forgiving. Slowly, she put down her first.

"It's the right way up?" Gray asked cautiously, wondering if that meant what he thought it would.

Cana finally let out her breath. "Yes, it is…" she said, looking at it and remembering her teachings. "This means a long journey. It's not always a literal journey, sometimes it can mean a metaphorical journey, a development or… I don't know. Pass me more booze," she asked, making grabbing hands towards the ice bucket in the corner of the room.

Loke obeyed and leaned back, pulling out another bottle and passing her the cold drink as she pulled on the next card. _Another_ upside down card. "This card is supposed to mean victory…" she said.

"So this is a loss?" Gray asked cautiously.

Cana hesitated, but eventually nodded, pulling on the final card. Another upside-down card. Death. "Yeah, OK. Let's not go on this mission. Another drink, anyone?"

* * *

 **"Cana here! I've taken over the summary of this fanfic to introduce to you, the wonderful, the amazing, Team Pervert!"  
"We are not being called Team Pervert…"  
"Aha a volunteer? Introducing our first member of Team Pervert, this is a man who is very much 'what you see is what you get', and ladies, we do like what we see, don't we? Our hearts break just a little bit every time someone tells you to put your clothes back on. Mr Gray Fullbuster!"  
"Wait, wha-"  
"Next up, don't be fooled by the layers and layers of clothing – trust me when I say they are far more commonly on someone's floor. After all, who can resist those 'take me to bed' eyes and the adorable way that he purrs in his sleep-"  
"I do not purr-!"  
"It's our wonderful Loke! Which brings me onto last but not least, little Miss Bewbs and Booze, Cana Alberona! (That's me, by the way)"  
"And by boobs she generally doesn't mean her own."  
"Isn't it Little Miss 'Can't Get Past the S-Class'-OW!"  
"Enjoy the rest of the story, everyone."**

* * *

 **Hey Fairy Tail Fans!**

 **I really need to stop taking on so many projects at once haha**

 **If you like a nice fun and happy Team Pervert, stop reading now. If you want to see everything go horribly wrong for them, go onto the next chapter. Just a warning :)**

 **This writing style is a little different to what I'm used to so I appreciate feedback.**


	2. An Upside-Down Kind of Day

**As I warned previously, if you want the story to stay nice then stop here. You've been warned.**

* * *

Seven days later, along with the rest of Fairy Tail, the three friends all wore black. It was the day of Lisanna's funeral.

As the teary eyed Strauss siblings walked past with their sister's body, as the many friends and nakama that had been created along the way gathered to pay respects to the smallest and sweetest of the takeover wizards, Gray, Loke and Cana held back, standing in a short row and unable to process the emotions that ran through each of their minds. The fortune telling was in each of their minds, Cana's cards blazing across their thoughts and blurring the trauma of losing a companion into something far worse.

"That was the mission-…" Cana murmured under her breath.

" _Don't_ ," Gray hissed. "Don't you fucking dare."

"Don't talk to her like that!" Loke stepped forwards, gritting his teeth and grasping his hands tightly in an anger that never should have been directed at his friends.

"If we'd been there…" Cana's head bowed, her beautiful brunette hair falling over her face and sticking to the tears still left on her cheeks.

"I said _don't_ ," Gray repeated, knowing that his voice had been raised just a little too much and that they were starting to get people looking back at them. Luckily, everyone was so self-absorbed in their own grief and the worried glances towards Mirajane and Elfman to pay the three of them much more attention, but Gray still took a step backwards and turned his back on the rest of the Fairy Tail members, making a mental note to keep his voice down.

Cana's words were already barely a whisper, her heart feeling as if it would break if she tried to give any more strength to them. "If we'd been there we could have saved her…" she said finally, unable to stop until she had finally spoken her true concerns out loud.

"No, we wouldn't have," Gray hissed once again, his eyes glaring and too filled with pain to have even a single tear. "If we'd gone on that damn mission then we'd all be dead too. You do not fuck around with demons or beasts or whatever the fuck that thing ended up being."

Loke looked between them both, realising that before his eyes their friendship had never been so close to shattering. They were a trio made up of secrets and dark pasts, but they were friends that had come together to enjoy life despite it all. They simply weren't built for this kind of confrontation and the strain was already clear. "Gray, you can't know that for certain…" he said, pushing his glasses back and trying to think of _anything_ but Karen. If he had only been by her side on her very last mission, if he had swallowed his pride and concerns and accepted that to a celestial wizard they would never be anything more than toys to be abused until broken, then maybe she would have been alive. Once again he had blood on his hands for simply not being there. Walking on Earthland rarely hurt as much as it did today.

"I do," Gray fired back at him, digging his hands deep into his pockets. Even if he could come to terms with the idea that they shouldn't have been there, he could not bring himself to think that there was nothing more he could have done. They had seen the fortune and foolishly thought it was only responding to the scenario where all three of them had gone to face the demon. In the end, it hadn't even _been_ a demon, it had been a Beast, not that Gray was going to back down on his convictions and admit he was only afraid because he had been reminded of Deliora. There was still a part of him that wanted to reach back into the past, to warn the takeover wizards of the fortune that they had seen.

"Someone needs to tell them…" Cana said, lifting up her eyes to Mira and Elfman.

"Are you crazy?!" Gray said, his eyes wide.

Loke sighed, knowing that once again he wanted to punch Gray for the way he was treating Cana right now, but he had to admit that he took his side this time. "Gray is right. If we tell them what we saw it'll only rub salt in the wound. There's nothing more that we can do now…" he said, his words slowing with every last syllable as they twisted through his regret.

"Besides, if they find out that you had that S-Class mission then the master might punish you. It might even risk your chances at the next S-Class trial…" Gray continued, trying desperately to think of any kind of argument that would seep through her reasoning.

"I don't care about that," she shook her head, pulling back her hair tightly until it hurt and brought fresh tears. "I don't give a fuck about any of that. If being S-Class means leading people you care about to death, then maybe I don't want it," she took a staggering step back. "I need a fucking drink."

Gray and Loke both looked at each other uncertainly. "Cana it's only midday…" Loke felt the need to point out.

"I don't give a flying fuck," Cana said, stepping backwards. Though she had a reputation already for being a heavy drinker, she was always seen as the party animal of the group. Her dependence on alcohol and daytime drinking was something that had only been dreaded before. She was shaking, feeling as if she would break at any moment and with a desperate need to go back to the guild and do another fortune telling. She wanted her father by her side, she wanted to run into his arms and cry and admit defeat, even if she knew she wouldn't ever have the strength to do that even if he was standing right in front of her. She just wanted to know he was _safe_. "I have to go. I just have to go," she shuddered, taking several more steps back before turning on her heel and running.

"Cana…!" Loke called after her.

"Leave her," Gray said stiffly, recognising the look on her face as he put an arm on Loke's.

Loke quickly shook him off, turning his glaring towards the male companion, angry fire burning in his eyes. "You were a real jerk to her," he hissed.

Gray could only shrug his shoulders. If he'd been true to himself he would have admitted he'd been less than warming to Cana, but he didn't feel particularly warm right now at all. When he had first reached Fairy Tail he had been broken and traumatised, and he had struggled at times to speak to anyone with kindness. He had never intended to hurt anyone, and for the majority of the time he was a sweet if slightly strange boy, but it had taken years to learn to speak to people with consideration to their own personal struggles. There was so much hurt inside his soul it was so difficult to let anyone else's inside, and while Cana, and later Loke, had helped melt his chill away, even after all of these years it was all too easy to put up his icy defences.

Loke could barely believe the way the Ice Maker was acting. He knew that people reacted differently to death, and as an immortal he had known that it was an emotion he could never truly understand. In a moment he was painfully reminded that he was no longer immortal, that his time was severely limited in this world, and hated the idea of seeing this same cold look in Gray's eyes and the fractured friendship between the card and ice mages when it was his turn to disappear. He had tried to defend them both, but all he could see was a smugness from Gray, knowing that Gray had been right to not take the mission, as the celestial wizard became blinded to his inner sufferings. "You're being a real jerk in general," he told him, pushing back his glasses and walking away.

Gray didn't watch him as he went, lost somewhere between memories of a huge beast destroying a town and the guilt that rested more heavily in his chest than ever. He was cursed, he decided, not wanting to even look at his friends as he considered what could happen to them. He had been friends with Lisanna, he felt sadness sweeping over him at her death and he was desperately trying to work out if guilt or grief was an easier emotion to deal with. Grief was simpler, guilt was familiar, both were horrific and both felt endless. Both filled him with a creeping fear that this wasn't the end, that one by one every person he cared about would suffer because of his actions.

He glanced up, looking through the dispersing crowds still gathered around the grave as it continued to be filled with dirt. He knew there were people that he should have been speaking to right now, people who needed comfort far more than he did. Mirajane and Elfman were surrounded by people, but he knew that if he could only bring himself to say a few words to Elfman then maybe he could have some of the blame lifted from his own shoulders. Erza had her arm around the dragon slayer and his cat, and Gray knew that he should have been offering his own awkward sentiments to his training partner. He knew that he should have been there for them, knew that to walk away now could irreparably damage any hope of friendship between himself and Natsu. And still he turned his back before Natsu could even notice he was looking at him, knowing that he couldn't break open his cold heart for even just a moment. Not right now.

* * *

 **"This _sucks_. Why are we focussing on this bit? Why not when we hooked Gray up with that drag queen?"**

 **"That didn't happen."**

 **"It _should_ have. Can we skip all of this tragedy crap now, please? Ughhhhh… I really need a drink just seeing this."**

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, and as always especially the reviews.**

 **This chapter is really short. I wanted it to be longer but again, the quicker I could get them away from this day the better.**


	3. Another Round

Another drink. And another. Cana couldn't have enough of them. She laughed despite the sombre tone in the guild, caught in her own alcohol-induced party and refusing to let the atmosphere get the better of her. She had been this way for almost an entire week now. Every time she felt like running to the Strauss siblings and telling them what might have been, she silenced her words with another large gulp. Gray and Loke had both separately and individually tried to get her to put down her drink and she had laughed at them every time, though it was laughter that sounded strangely like crying.

"I don't know what to do…" Loke said, looking at her from across the guildhall. He couldn't even get himself to sit beside her anymore, watching the woman that he had cared for fade away before their eyes. Even in all his years of immortality it was something he had never gotten used to.

"It's still early days," Gray grunted, sitting beside him and watching Cana far less than his friend. He knew that in this guild everyone took care of each other and the bonds that had grown over the years had never been more obvious as they were now in the face of tragedy, and so he could trust she was in capable hands. He had no desire to be a part of her inner conflictions and even now was only sitting beside Loke out of habit.

Loke frowned. "Maybe…" he said under his breath, wishing that he could reach out to her and explain that he knew exactly how she felt. That he had known this guilt blackening her soul and knew that there were good days between the bad ones. If he could only say this out loud, then Gray too may have also been able to put into words the exact same emotional drains. Unfortunately, the trilogy remained divided by their secret similarities.

The giant guild doors opened and Loke lifted his head curiously. There was a surprise that rested in his eyes as he saw that the dragon slayer had finally come back into the guild for the first time since the wake, obviously a little cautious. Though no one dared to say it out loud, he looked like a pale shadow of his old self. "Poor guy…" Loke said slowly, glancing down to Gray to see his reaction. The Ice Mage hadn't even lifted his head, twisting an icicle through his fingers and against the wooden table, though from the way he was avoiding his glances Loke knew he'd been more than aware his old comrade had returned. "Aren't you going to check up on him?" the lion asked, remembering how little time had passed since they had both been competing together over the S-Class legacy.

Gray didn't even acknowledge the question.

Loke found himself glaring, wanting nothing more than to shake him. "Have you seen him at all?!" he hissed, realising that Gray was truly treating all his friends with the same lack of respect.

Gray glanced up briefly, knowing that he should have bridged the gap across the hall and offered Natsu… _something_. The two had never exactly been friends. He knew nothing of the emotional range of the dragon slayer and was painfully aware that Natsu knew absolutely nothing about himself other than the way that he fought. That was exactly the way Gray liked it. After the years of fighting and competing he knew there should have been something more there, even if it was just one desperate moment to reach out to one another and give comfort, but Gray shook his head. "No," he admitted in a low voice. "Erza's told us she's not continuing with her training. She's stopped all suggestion of taking us with her missions, too," he said coldly, glancing across the crowd and seeing Erza was by Mira's side. At least she had been slightly less stubborn in her rivalry.

"So? That's no reason you can't say something," Loke said, wondering if Gray could even see how distant he was acting. "Oh shit…" he said suddenly.

Both watched in horror as the drunk woman approached Natsu, swaying as she walked.

"Do we stop her…?" Gray asked under his breath, knowing it was already too late.

The entire guild seemed to be watching with baited breath as Cana stood in front of Natsu, a mixture of shaking and swaying as she struggled to stand upright in front of him. They had seen the awkward laughter, seen how much she had already drank this morning and the alcohol that would still be raging through her system from the night before and knew that she had the ability to truly sting Natsu with happiness, especially as it was the first chance he'd had to come out of his own depression. Loke and Gray waited, unable to hear a thing over the surrounding chattering but both afraid that she would suddenly admit her own inactions and belief that she could have saved the poor girl.

Slowly, the card mage held out a tankard to Natsu. He looked surprised and seemed to tell her some kind of rejection and perhaps a comment on the time of day it was. She gave an awkward laugh, scratching the back of her head. He didn't seem to flinch from the noise, however, a smile creeping on his own face, because after the week from hell he truly needed to smile. She warmed instantly, taking him by the arm somewhat violently and dragging him to a seat and trying to drown him with pleasant stories and drunken rambles.

Loke breathed out a sigh of relief, seeing that Natsu was slowly becoming more and more relaxed with the gentle words from the drunken woman and that with the dragon slayer's blessing she had loudly pulled half of the guild into her laughter. It was beginning to feel more and more like the old guild, even if, as Gray had pointed out, it was still early days. "See, was that so hard?" Loke said, punching Gray on the arm.

Gray frowned, feeling that he had even more conviction to not speak to dragon slayer now. He responded well to Cana's bright and warming character because Natsu had his own bright and warming character; the last thing he needed now was to be around a block of ice. "Whatever."

* * *

Slowly, as gently as possible, the guild began to heal. The laughter began to return, the missions were taken and the atmosphere gradually lifted. It was a gradual development; there was never a moment when it seemed to change, not even for one particular person, but the talk of the upcoming S-Class challenges had at least given the guild something to direct their lost energy towards. They came alive with discussions of the strongest and boldest wizards, the young and desperate rushing out into new missions and pulling up their reputations as high as possible. The elder members bonded of the nostalgia of their own ambitions, the very youngest watched with wide eyed anticipation and the current S-Class watched in absent curiosity, knowing there was little more they could do to prepare their favourites to join their rankings. When the day came, no matter who they faced, they knew they would need to give their all, but this year there would only be two current S-Class to take part in the actual trial. Guildarts was no where to be seen for yet another year in a row and no one had expected Mirajane to take part this time.

As he had for the past few years, Gray had a handful of flyers in his hands, though he had to admit this year he didn't feel the same excitement. Some of this was knowing that Natsu had been paying less attention to the trials too and it almost felt dirty to try and beat his rival to the elite ranking at a time like this.

"You're slacking," Loke noticed.

Gray glanced up. He hadn't even realised that his friend was standing in front of him and he wondered both how long he had been starting at the flyers in his hand and how long he had been watched. He looked away, not feeling like he particularly wanted to be scolded right now. Instead he decided to keep walking, a little annoyed as he found his footsteps were being matched by the celestial leader. He knew that he couldn't escape until Loke had an answer he was satisfied with. "So?" Gray grunted eventually, finally taking the bait and responding.

Loke put his hands into his pockets, "So, do you still want to be S-Class?"

Gray flinched at the unexpected question. "What the hell does that mean?!" he hissed.

Loke shrugged his shoulders. He knew that although Gray had been trying to get away from him at first, somehow he was now in charge of their direction and the ice maker hadn't even noticed. He couldn't help a small hint of a smile on his face, realising just how much his friend needed guidance without even realising. "It's dangerous. We've seen how dangerous the missions can be now. It's natural for even you to get cold feet."

Gray did not appreciate the terrible pun, rolling his eyes. "I don't get _cold feet_ ," he replied dryly, going to put his hands into his pockets and realising he'd misplaced his trousers somewhere. Well, that would make storing the Fairy Tail request forms currently in his hands _awkward._ "In case you haven't noticed, I don't think anyone in the guild is really giving their all this year," he snapped.

"Some people are," Loke reminded him. "I hear Mystogan's the top runner this year."

"Mystogan?" Gray asked, surprised. He hadn't even heard that he would be anywhere near the guild, but then again that hadn't stopped Guildarts from reaching the S-Class so many years ago. "But who would he even partner with? No one has even seen his face, or his magic… The master must have faith in him if he is thinking he might be strong enough…"

A devilish grin crossed Loke's face for a moment. "Just because people don't see your magic doesn't mean it isn't strong."

Gray smirked. In the year that he'd known Loke, even after all of the missions the three of them had taken together, he could probably count the amount of times he had actually seen his ring magic on one hand. Most of the guild were completely oblivious to his powers. "I have no doubt he's strong," he admitted, knowing that being able to send the entire guild into a deep slumber every time he needed a mission was no mean feat. "That still doesn't answer the question. Who would he fight with?"

"I guess he'll do an Erza and fight it alone," Loke wondered aloud.

Gray nodded, flinching as he remembered seeing Erza's rise to power first hand. It had been both impressive and terrifying, especially as one of her rivals. Even Cana and himself teamed together hadn't managed to place a scratch against her. "I haven't seen you taking on any extra jobs," Gray noticed eventually. Last year Loke had been so new that he hadn't had the opportunity to fight for his own place, though even then he had been by Cana's side, but this year he still seemed to make no effort to rise himself.

Loke's eyes shielded a pain deep inside of him, wishing for just a moment that he had been as mysterious towards Gray and Cana as he was to everyone else in his life. His time was ticking away with every second he spent on the earth and he had little desire to take another guild member's spot on the second floor during that brief time. "It's not something I'm interested in, not unless you and Cana both become S-Class. I'm not really with the guild for glory or fame anyway, I just want to have fun."

With all of the talk of raising Cana to S-Class Gray had always assumed it had been a mutual desire between the three wizards. He would have never guessed that someone who was clearly as capable as Loke would want anything less. "So you'd give it up if you got nominated?"

"Hell no," he smirked. "And I'm still dragging you with me if I do, assuming you're not already my enemy."

Gray smirked. "Likewise. That would be something though, wouldn't it? All three of us against each other…"

"It's not such an unlikely idea…" Loke murmured, stopping in his tracks and suddenly seeing the third member making her way over.

Cana had a fire in her eyes. Her entire body was shaking, her hair even messier than usual, a cold sweat rushing over her body. She could feel anger brewing inside of her, fuelled by the days and days of alcohol still twisting through her veins. There were bags under her eyes beneath streaks of the hottest of tears. Her hands were gripped as tightly as possible as she stormed forwards, but a single hand opened wide as she stood in front of the secret celestial leader, bringing a loud slap straight across his cheek.

Like almost every other slap he had received from a woman, Loke knew that he had probably deserved it.

"Cana, what….?" Gray asked, looking lost, not sure which friend he should rush to defend.

"You _bastard_!" Cana hissed, not taking her eyes off Loke. "You told the master that you didn't think I should do the S-Class trial?!"

Gray's eyes went wide in disbelief. "What…?"

Loke kept his resolve, looking at her so calmly his eyes silently patronised her. "I didn't tell him to drop you, I asked him to consider, and that we're concerned."

Cana's teeth gritted together so tightly it hurt, feeling that her hot tears would return looking at the man she had considered to be one of her closest friends. She pushed him, angered as he barely moved under her pitiful shake. She pushed his shoulder again, hearing herself screaming as her hands once again became fists, trying to slam against his chest. She could feel her arms were being held back by the naked figure behind her, feel herself lifting her legs and trying to kick instead as the tears broke through her eyes and were pouring down her face. "You _bastard!_ How could you do this to me?!" she screamed as she was pulled further and further back.

Loke didn't move away from any one of her assaults. She could have done some true damage to him, he knew, if only she had pulled on the magical energy that she was so quick to defend and it only confirmed the weakness that she refused to admit. "Because I'm worried about you," he said, trying to soften her with his words but knowing that she had all rights to her anger. "You haven't been sober for over a month. We were both worried about you taking on these trials," he said, his eyes flickering back up to Gray.

Gray met his expression but was too shocked to say a word.

Cana angrily pulled herself out of Gray's grasp, now looking at him with the same contempt that she had for Loke. Her heart was racing in her chest, energy that she couldn't break free from making all of her muscles tense uncomfortably. "You were supposed to believe in me," she told them both, feeling nothing but betrayal. "No matter what, that's what you said, isn't it?"

Gray and Loke both glanced to each other, knowing that it wasn't as simple as it had been then. Cana, in full strength, even with the few drinks that they had shared together, was nothing short of amazing. The drunk that had manifested herself in front of them now, however, was a different story.

She stepped backwards, holding out her arms wide to her audience. "And you know what?" she said, ignoring as she stumbled on her own legs as she tried to walk backwards in her ridiculous heels. "So what if I'm drunk. I have been at these S-Class trials for three fucking years already, I know them like the back of my hand. I should be able to do them drunk, sober, with one eye and my arms tied behind my back. I should even be able to pull it off by myself, right?" she asked, a manic grin plastered across her tear-streaked face.

Gray's eyes went wide. "Cana, you can't-"

"Don't tell me what I can't do!" she screamed, stumbling even further back. "You know how much this S-Class means to me. You know I can do this. Its-its in my blood…" she whispered, staring down to the ground and feeling her heart growing even heavier as she wondered where in the world her father was right now and if he would look at her with the same shame her two friends held for her now. "Power is in my veins, in my blood. I can do this… I can do this without anyone…

"Because fuck you, the master told me that he was nominating me," she told them, swearing at them both with her hands. She remembered her conversation with him, the way that he had put a hand on her arm the way that her father should have been there to do. If she had been sober she should have realised he was taking Loke's side, that he was telling her to consider what state she arrived at the trials in, but she had only heard her betrayal and her victory. "I'm going to do this. And I'm going to do it myself. Because fuck both of you."

* * *

 **"OK, that is _definitely_ not what happened!"  
** **"Cana… do you actually remember any of this?"  
** **"Sure I do-I, uh, I…"  
** **"Yeah, we were actually impressed you remembered you said you were going to fight by yourself…"  
** **"I don't think impressed is the right word, Loke."  
** **"Hm, that's very true."  
** **"Well no harm done, right?! And you know every time I say fuck you its secretly a request, right?"  
** **"…."  
** **"… Please don't tease me like that, Cana."**

* * *

 **I'm not gonna lie, I'm seriously struggling with this story now. x.x Usually with most stories I can pull off a chapter a night but I've been working on the chapter after this one for a week now. I don't like to post a chapter until I have the next one written. Any inspiration would be GREAT! Your feedback is a huge motivator and any ideas or whatever please just keep me going. I'll try to make sure that I've got another chapter done by the end of next week. Once they start going into canon timeline it might be easier?**


	4. Partnership

Cana threw the bottle into the alleyway, wincing as it shattered. She put her hand on her head, pulling back her thick brunette hair and trying to focus on the steps in front of her. Barely even able to tell what time it was, she knew that she had be at the docks soon for yet another S-Class trial and if she wasn't quick they would leave without her. She had stocked up on her liquid courage before her trip, trying to mask her fears of failure with her fears of sobering. She stumbled, feeling the liquid burning through her veins, warning her to go back and accept the failure that she would never be strong enough to be the daughter of the powerful S-Class wizard…

"Cana."

She turned back, a hand on the wall to steady herself at her sudden turn. If it had been any other voice she wouldn't have glanced back. If it had been any other pair she wouldn't have stopped and given them the satisfaction of a moment of her time. "You've come to give me good luck…" she whispered, looking hopefully to Gray and Loke.

"Something like that…" Gray murmured under his breath, putting his hands deep into his pockets.

Loke stared back at her carefully, knowing how stubborn the card wizard could be when determined and eager not to push her into a spiteful turn. "You're still set on going alone?" he asked her, knowing now that he could never convince her not to go at all but wishing deeply that she could at least have a backup.

She glared at them both, remembering just how hurt she had felt from their betrayal, but how much it hurt to not have them by her side.

"Give us one last chance to convince you, Cana," Gray told her, no hint of softness or cruelty in his voice, completely neutral in his offer. "Neither me nor Loke were nominated for the S-Class trials this year, so the pair of us combined are, by definition, weaker than everyone you'll be up against. If you can face them, you can face us," he told her, his shirt disappearing behind him.

Loke nodded in agreement, pushing back his glasses as they sparkled against the light, his rings glimmering. "I don't usually like to fight women, but you did say that you wanted a confidence boost," he told her.

Cana's eyes went wide, taking several steps back as she tried to make sense of their proposal through her drunken haze. "You… want to fight me…?" she asked, staring at them both and realising that they were both standing tall, both prepared for the first attack. For a moment, she thought they had officially lost their minds, or maybe that they were just as angry at her as she was at them. It felt like yet another betrayal, staring at two pairs of cold unflinching eyes.

"We're not giving you a choice, I'm afraid," Gray told her, pulling his hands together and twisting cold air around his palms. "We should be an easy opponent compared to the trial. If you beat us, we'll let you go alone. If you can't, you have to at least agree that one of us should be by your side." He desperately wanted her to shake her head and say that she would refuse to fight. He wanted her to say that the S-Class trial wasn't worth hurting her nakama, to admit that she couldn't face the pair of incredible wizards. He knew it was too much to ask, so he could at least take some comfort knowing that they could defend her to the bitter end.

Her breath caught in her chest. But a smile crossed her face. She pulled her jacket sleeves up, joy dancing in her eyes, realising that once again her male companions were just as stubborn as she was, and it was a fair exchange. If she couldn't prove herself to her best friends, then she had no chance of proving herself to the entirety of Fairy Tail. She would be lying if she hadn't thought about this fight, hadn't prepared for it for a long time. "Bring it on, pretty boys," she grinned, pulling on her deck of cards and spinning them through the air.

* * *

Gray and Loke sat, backs against the wall, staring in disbelief into the void of their own defeat.

"Was… Cana always that strong…?" Gray had to ask, still trying to catch his breath.

Loke frowned. "I know we were holding back but…" he began, wincing as he thought of the awkward battle and twisting the depleted rings around his fingers. "I suppose it's worth remembering that she's been nominated as the same level as Erza, Laxus, Guildarts and Mirajane. She did say that all she needed was the confidence that she could win…"

Gray swallowed hard. It had all been such a blur that he could barely believe that she had been the same girl that they had spent so many long nights with, the same girl that they had drank and laughed with. There was never any denial that Cana was impressive but while they had thought the eldest was currently the strongest they could have never assumed her strength would be at such a level. She knew their strengths and weaknesses like no other, however, undeniably fighting dirty and Gray had no doubt that much of her victory had been placed through her unpredictable alcohol-induced flurries and blind luck. While he had taken some pride in his female companion's abilities, he suspected she would not have such an advantage against the rest of the guild. "She's still not strong enough," he said sombrely, the back of his head hitting the wall and closing his eyes.

"No… she's not… not like this…" Loke admitted, remembering the way that she had limped away. He was a dying man, and Gray's powers would still take years to refine: they were nothing compared to the strength of the likes of the current S-Class. "I can't believe she still went by herself…"

Gray smirked. "She's stubborn."

"She's _hurt_ ," Loke reminded him, knowing that it was their harsh actions that had driven her to her drunken rampage. "You know she's still blaming herself."

Something in the celestial spirits words meant that Gray could not look him in the eye. He wasn't sure if it was something tangible or simply the guilt inside of his heart, but he could feel his friend judging him. Cana shouldn't have been blaming herself when he'd been the one who had resisted, he'd been the one who had put his foot down and refused to take the mission that had killed Lisanna. Even if he heavily argued they would have been equally helpless, he couldn't shake the familiar emotion of regret. He had yet another lost life etched into his list of sins. "What can we do about that?" he asked, feeling that it was a rhetorical question.

Loke tried to think hard about what he would have needed if he had had Cana by his side when Karen died. It almost felt laughable, knowing that his pain and guilt had never truly recovered and if he had found some switch that he could suddenly flip to make everything fine for Cana he would have done the same for himself. "Distract her, I guess…" he murmured, remembering how he had dived into the world and all its pleasures in his desperate attempts to forget.

"Distract her?" Gray opened his eyes again slowly, barely able to believe the ridiculous advice. "That's stupid. What the hell good would that do?" he hissed, looking at his hands and gripping them tightly. Distraction had done nothing but push his demons deeper into his nightmares. It was impossible for him to turn away from the darkness, Ur had taught him that he needed to seal it away and it was a battle he would consciously fight every day of his life. For her.

Without understanding this, Loke's eyes clouded in his own darkness. "You're still acting like a bastard, Gray," he said, awkwardly pulling himself back onto his feet and feeling the aches and bruises the card wizard had caused. He hesitated, but finally realised that he couldn't help himself but reprimand the youngest wizard. "I seriously have no idea what's going on with you, but if you want to lose everyone you're going the right way about it, so snap the fuck out of it."

"You're seriously trying to tell us what to do again?" The words came as a surprise even to the ice maker as he spoke them, not even glancing back at his friend as he said them out loud. He was used to shielding the things that really hurt, the scars that buried deep under his skin, but Loke was once again belittling their grief and pain. "We're not going to react the way that you want us to. Who put you in charge?" Gray asked, turning away and trying to let the cold calm his nerves.

Loke stopped, flinching. He had always been in charge. He had been the leader of the zodiac for decades and it was a title that he wore well. He had protected his team, his original nakama, and in the celestial world he had pulled them together despite their differences. Every one of them had experienced grief after years of master after master falling into old age while they remained eternally youthful but he yet to learn that he was still no expert on the emotions of humans, emotions that he had now running through his veins. When life was fleeting everything became more extreme. His own mortality was racing closer and he knew exactly how he wanted his friends to react to that, it was simply infuriating knowing that they wouldn't be so conveniently prepared.

For the briefest moments, he considered telling him, opening his secrets and letting his best friend realise that he was afraid of their reaction to his own funeral. But instead, he tightened his hand into a fist, his mouth turning into a thin line. Things were too painful now. "I just want things the way they were," he said hesitantly, the first strain of real emotion flooding his voice.

Gray turned away, his eyes fading into submission. It was all he wanted too and he was certain that deep down Cana felt the same way. She had pounced into battle, she had worn a smile on her face that felt more true than anything they had seen in months and the more Gray thought about it the more certain he was that it was simply because she had been by their side once again. "Was it right?" he asked, his voice quiet and low. "Cana's fortune. The card you picked. Did it come true?"

Loke paused, thinking to the laughter and the smiles that had been throughout that night that had changed everything. The card that both he and Gray had reached for that had eventually ended up within his own hands. The past had come to haunt him, Karen's face staring at him through the eternal nightmare of his final days. He pushed his glasses back, not wanting to think about it anymore as he walked away. "You heard what Cana said. They're always right, just some people are idiots and can't interpet them correctly."

* * *

 **OK, OK, let me just make this perfectly clear before anyone questions how Cana beat Gray and Loke. a) They were holding back b) This is two years ago and she is genuinely much stronger than them at this stage c) Loke is still being mysterious with his powers, he generally uses as little magic as possible**

 **OK, with that out of the way, hai! I have not been enjoying this. Bleh. I have a few other parts which none of them are really chapters and... well, I'll tidy it up or whatever...**

 **But a HUGE thank you to people who've reviewed and suggested ideas for this chapter. This kind of came from a weird interpretation of Zunifex's idea with the bit of influence from Grimnack. I think I'll probably use Grimnack's ideas a little more later, we'll see!**

 **In other news, if you've read manga 508... CANA WHAT THE ACTUAL. YOU ARE HEREBY BANNED FROM TEAM PERVERT. (Nah, just kidding, you can still be a perv haha)**


	5. The Perfect Pint

Cana hugged her drink, arms crossed over her body and head flat against the wooden table in the guildhall. She was more drunk than usual, even more drunk than her recent state, getting the occasional strange and concerned look from her guildmates. Most of them kept their distance from her, realising that her defeat in the very first round of the trials must have been humiliating. Though she'd never been successful before, she'd never found herself facing such an easy defeat and hadn't even had a chance to meet the victor. The few that were brave enough to step near her only received animalistic growls as she protectively pulled her drink closer until it was eventually empty.

As if summoned by willpower alone, a full tankard appeared before her.

She looked up, blinking her bloodshot brown eyes and reaching out to the new drink. It was crisp and cold, the foam just the perfect height, a beautiful rich golden colour. It was quite possibly the perfect pint. Her eyes glanced up further, following the hand that had placed it in front of her. Seeing her old friend, she pushed it back and leaned backwards, folding her arms stubbornly across her chest. "I don't need your pity drinks."

Loke shrugged calmly, putting his hands deep into his pockets inoffensively. "It's not pity. It's an apology."

Cana pulled up her nose stubbornly, but looked at the drink out of the corner of her eye. It truly looked like the perfect pint, and the beautiful foam was already starting to bubble away.

"I was trying to control you," Loke admitted, his eyes fading as he remembered his oldest friends. His thoughts were with his eternal spirits, wondering what they would be doing right now, if they had finally found the kind master that they had always craved, and whether they would have even felt his absence in the year that he had been gone. Time worked differently in the celestial realm and even more so for the immortals that dwelled inside. Eternity was a long time to bare regret, loss, grief or loneliness. He wondered if they would eventually pull themselves apart without him, though he was starting to realise that perhaps he needed to be a leader more than they needed him. "I was trying to protect you, but it wasn't my place. I know that you can take care of yourself," he said, pushing back his glasses.

Cana could no longer hold herself back. She dived forwards, taking the tankard in both hands and downing the wondrous liquid.

Loke stumbled backwards, not quite expecting the reaction from the drunk. He watched in painstaking anticipation as she continued to gulp down the warming liquid, not taking any notice of him.

The tankard hit the table with a thud. The brunette brushed her lips with the back of her fist, wiping a grin onto her face. Her eyes flickered upwards, finally taking in the suddenly nervous ring mage. "You really know the way to a girl's heart, don't you?" she asked, jumping out of her seat and tackling him to the ground, laughing as she climbed on top of him and victoriously sat on top of his chest.

Before she could even realise what had happened, the entire guild was once again in the chaos of another fight. She blinked, glancing around her and seeing that once more the guild had been all too eager to unleash the pent-up frustrations and energy, trading friendly blows with their closest of friends. She smiled, seeing that there was happiness all around her. She laughed, feeling the glow of the guild washing over them. She gasped as Loke suddenly pulled himself up, throwing her backwards rolling back into the bar. But a laugh was once again on her lips, scratching where she had hit his head and pouncing against the lion playfully tackling once again.

And it hurt. Every time that she threw a playful punch, every time his body hit the ground, with every heavy laugh and with every strike back, he could feel the pain inside of his mortal body. He could feel the breath of Earthland air twisting through his lungs painfully, could feel the ground digging into his unnatural flesh, but he grimaced a smile. He didn't back down, he didn't give in, because his friend was back by his side and that was worth every drop of pain this world had to offer.

"Watch where you're going, flame brain!"

Loke and Cana both looked up, Cana pulling back her long brown hair as she searched through the fighting crowds for the familiar cold stripper. She and Loke both stopped their fighting, knowing that those had possibly been the first words that Gray had said to Natsu since the death of his childhood friend. The guild continued to flurry around them as they desperately tried to look through the violent bodies, helping each other to their feet. "There!" Cana said, pointing to the centre, going to jump forwards.

Loke put his arm in front of her, stopping the concerned drunk in her tracks, though he was aware he was already breaking his promise and once more attempting to control her. He understood exactly where her worry had come from, knowing that the atmosphere between the fire and ice wizards had been painfully obvious even to the intoxicated card wizard and the glare that passed between them both only seemed to be filled with more anger than ever. "Wait," Loke warned Cana, just as he had tried to trust Cana with the very same dragon slayer.

The first punch made Cana want to burst forwards, but Loke continued to hold her back. She looked up at the celestial spirit in desperate confusion, wondering how he could let their friends tear each other apart. Eventually, however, she began to see it. They weren't even bothering to try to dodge each other's blows, taking each and every strike and eventually a glimmer returning to their eyes.

Cana sighed, crossing her arms across her chest and admitting that, while she didn't understand it, Gray and Natsu had their own way of settling their differences. "Guys are seriously weird sometimes..." she muttered, the confusion, disgust and the smug look across the lion's face making her want to take her next drink even more.

* * *

 **I'm not very good at writing happy things. Bleh.**

 **I was trying to hold down the 180 switch this story suddenly did... but this is Fairy Tail. And I quite like this.**


	6. Five's the Charm

"A toast to failing yet another year! Five is the charm!" Cana said, standing on her chair and lifting the tankard into the air, droplets of the beautiful amber liquid falling around her.

"You're taking this pretty well…" Loke observed, looking at her with some concern as she drunkenly wobbled on her chair.

She grinned proudly as she pulled the drink back to her lips. "I got closer than ever! Next time this is mine, no one can stop me then!" she announced, giggling but carelessly tipping over and falling straight into Loke's arms.

"Technically no one stopped you _this_ time…" Gray mentioned, recalling how the tournament had been particularly unlucky this year and not a single person had reached the elusive S-Class title. Cana had come further than ever before, a clear choice for the winner, and though only the contestants truly knew what had happened it had been said that she had simply failed due to bad luck.

"Why do you have to ruin my good mood?!" Cana yelled, kicking herself out of Loke's arms and sitting instead on the table in front of the ice maker, a playful and tipsy smile across her face.

"Good mood?" Gray questioned, genuinely confused. "You're acting as if you're celebrating. You still lost," he reminded her.

"I came first place!" Cana announced, putting her arm high in the air proudly as her finger spelled her proud position of number one.

" _Joint_ first place. So, you still lost."

"So did everyone else!" she hissed back at him, starting to get genuinely irritated at his coldness. It had been a long time since the three of them had been anywhere close to each other. Gray seemed to be obsessed with his solo missions at the moment, Loke was becoming more and more popular with the ladies and gathering more girlfriends than days of the week, and Cana's best friends had quickly been replaced by her barrels of alcohol. It had been over a year since Lisanna had died, since the three had contemplated going on the fateful S-Class mission together, and though she still loved the boys with all of her heart she could say with confidence that things had never been the same since that day. She couldn't remember the last time she and Loke had invaded Gray's house, the last time that they had taken a mission together, or even the last time that they had all stood in the same corner of the guild. When they spoke, it was just like old times, the look that they gave each other still burned with the same friendship from years ago, but they had truly changed both inside and outside. Cana's legs had somehow grown even longer and stronger, Gray's body had grown more toned and admirable, and Loke had… well, it was anyone's guess what was beneath that giant coat of his, but his eyes seemed to reflect more wisdom every day.

"Ignore him, Cana. He's just bitter that he didn't get nominated this year," Loke explained observantly, shrugging off his seemingly obvious comment.

"Huh?" Cana leaned forwards. "But you've never been bothered about not being nominated before," she said, tilting her head to the side and leaning in front of him, irritatingly directly in front of his chair from atop the table. "What gives this year?"

Gray glared. "I've never liked being not nominated," he reminded them.

"It's because Erza was fifteen when she was first nominated," Loke lazily reminded her.

Cana leaned backwards, counting the years on her fingers. "Oh yeah. So, Erza won her first S-Class trial three years ago, and she's two years older than Gray…"

Gray rolled his eyes back, quick to shut them both up. "You really think I care about that?"

"Yes," Cana said.

"Definitely," Loke shrugged.

Gray didn't even bother to glare at them, folding his arms across his bare chest. "It could be worse. At least flame brain didn't get nominated either."

"Sometimes I think you're a little too obsessed with Natsu," Loke grinned at him, enjoying the rare opportunity to feel as if things were back to the way that they were, when they were able to laugh and joke with each other, particularly at Gray's expense. Seeing the ice maker tense both filled him with excitement and a sense of dread as he wondered if suddenly Gray would decide he'd once again had enough of them and disappear back into his own dark thoughts.

"It's not such a bad thing," Cana shrugged as she put the tankard back to her lips. "Besides, women are supposed to come first, right Loke?"

"Oh of course, Cana," Loke said, pushing back his gleaming glasses.

Gray had absolutely no response to that, staring at them both in disbelief that even after all these years they still acted so incredibly immature, and refusing to admit that he loved them for it.

A strangely comfortable silence fell upon the group. It was pleasant but felt incredibly fragile, the glances between one another filled with the warmth of nostalgia as even the cold wizard was able to give one of his more relaxed smirks. In their pauses, the noises of the crowd and the words of wisdom and motivation could be heard throughout the guild to all of the failed contestants and snippets of conversation left even Cana with vague curiosity. "This year was a weird year…" she remarked absently into her drink, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and thinking of all the things she had seen in the games.

"Weirder than last year?" Gray questioned.

For the first time the Ice Maker actually sounded as if he was interested in what she had to say and Cana had to contain herself from the excitement. There was something that felt incredibly good from being a few feet closer to her friends and she didn't want it to end. "No; last year was a mess. Not even the guys who got further than me knew what was up with Mystogan and no one seems to even remember what the hell happened out there," she said, shaking her head as her dark hair fell over her eyes. "This year was just strange the way Makarov set it up… I wouldn't feel too bad that you didn't get in, since there were only four of us that ended up getting nominated."

"That was unexpected…" Loke had to admit curiously. Although the number of nominees that had been chosen differed from year to year, even Loke knew it had never been so few before. The guild was clearly strong enough to have many more potential S-Class contestants and there were already whispers of what would have happened if there had been more selected. "I can't help but wonder if the master feels that the guild has no space for any more S-Class wizards right now..."

"Don't say that!" Cana said, her eyes wide with fear. Every year the comrades around her grew stronger and every year she faced a tougher competition. If what Loke was saying had even a hint of truth to it then Makarov would be waiting for the S-Class numbers to thin, and the eldest and most absent member was the only one that she cared about fighting alongside.

"I'm a little surprised that you chose Levy to be your partner, too…" Gray commented absently.

"Why not Levy?" Cana asked, genuinely curious why she wouldn't have chosen the script mage. She hadn't spoken to Gray and Loke seriously in so long that she wasn't sure that she could have shown either of them favouritism and she knew that Levy would no doubt be shortly facing the same issue within her own team. Although Team Shadowgear and Team Pervert could not have seemed more different on the face of it, she could at least respect them enough to know that Levy was one of Fairy Tail's strongest members.

"I-uh, she just… doesn't seem your type?" Gray stumbled, unable to put into words the exact reason.

"What Gray means to say is that she is very much lacking your two favourite things, Cana," Loke smirked, pointedly gesturing towards the tankard that she had held close to her voluptuous chest.

Cana's face burned a deep red, though her embarrassment was far from genuine. The drunken rosiness was finally reaching her cheeks. "Ah… yea, she's a little…. _Little._ But she was good. She did a better job of backing me up than either of you two idiots!" she glared at them both once more, pulling herself up and swinging her legs outwards to land back on the floor with a wobble. "I bet you two will be in the trial next year. I'm sure of it. So sure I'd bet every drink for a year. Can you imagine it? All three of us, fighting together. Just against each other," she said, truly meaning every word, including her promise. After all, if she couldn't have her comrades fighting alongside her then even alcohol would taste bitter. Next year was the year everything would change, she could feel it, even without flipping over the cards in her pocket.

The idea of fighting against each other seemed to put a glimmer back into Gray's eyes. His smile for a moment seemed to be genuinely strangely excited at the prospect of coming against friends. Their friendship, like so many of his friendships within the guild, had always been a mixture of loyalty and rivalry and he couldn't deny the hope that came from sitting together for the first time in over a year. "You know that I won't hold back," he promised them both.

"You better not," she challenged him back.

Loke didn't meet their eyes. It was a wonderful idea that they would all be together in a year's time, all fighting against each other for the S-Class title that they had tried so hard to help each other towards. The perfect image would always be the three of them as the strongest team Fairy Tail could possibly offer, the strongest team that Fairy Tail had ever seen. He had no doubt that Cana was right and that Gray would be nominated next year, and hopefully that would be the year that she would finally reach the title she so rightly deserved. But most of all he hoped he would be alive to see it. A year sounded like a painfully long time.

* * *

 **Usually I like to write a chapter ahead of the next, but I'm afraid I genuinely don't know when/if I'll next be writing this story. I think the next part will be taking place at the same time as canon - Galuna Island, specifically - if I ever get around to it, but if you can think of any ideas/inspiration please let me know :)**


	7. Take Her Home

There was something about his Boscan charm and foreign nature that made Cana feel at ease. There was a new barmaid in Fairy Tail who obviously hadn't been fully trained on Cana's tolerance and had made the controversial decision to cut her off before the evening had fully begun, but Cana had not taken offense. She had simply stood and informed the new girl that she would drink elsewhere for the night. Before she could be convinced otherwise, the drunk woman had gone into the night to find a new watering hole. That was where she had met the mysterious man of Bosco. They had shared a drink, she had laughed beside him, there had been more than a handful of flirting, but now she was going home.

"She said she's going home," Loke pressed forcefully, standing between the pair and their retreat.

The man glared. He wasn't from Magnolia, not even from Fiore and he did not understand the fierce reputation that came from the Fairy Tail guildmark. He didn't recognise his evenings partner nor the protective man before him as powerful mages. "What's your deal, mister?" he sneered, but did a double take as he saw the woman by his side was running straight to the newcomer. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"

Cana, in her blind drunken state, could see the bright light of Loke's aura beaconing her closer as she pulled herself onto his arm. "You came!" she exclaimed, a bright and lazy smile written across her face.

Loke nodded, glancing up and down across the incredibly attractive woman stumbling against him. "Did he hurt you?" he asked quickly.

The man looked shocked, mouth visibly open. "Hurt her? I think you've got the wrong end of the stick, mister!"

Cana ignored her drinking companion and shook her head. "I can take care of myself," she grinned, proudly holding herself as tall as she could.

Loke gave her a quizzical look, not certain if Cana knew how contradictory that sounded while she was clearly struggling to stand straight. He couldn't help but feel the need to shield the busty woman after she had had a few too many drinks, an instinct which ran through every member of Fairy Tail. The reputation of their protective nature had spread throughout the city but the traveller clearly hadn't yet got the message. "I know you can," he assured her with a nod, looking back to the new stranger. "You should leave now, no harm done," he warned as politely as he could, putting his arm around Cana's waist and beginning to lead her home.

"No harm done? Hurt her? I don't know what you think I am, mister, but you've definitely got me wrong," the man defended himself, completely confused and feeling the need to set the record straight. "We were just having a good time, tell him babe," he demanded of Cana.

Cana stumbled backwards, grabbing onto Loke's arm to keep her steady. "Can I go home now, Loke?" she asked, wrapping her hand in her nest of hair as the world span in front of her.

Loke nodded. "Sure," he assured her, keeping his eyes on the foreigner carefully, warning him with a glare to not follow as the celestial spirit put his arm around Cana and lead her to safety.

The streets were coated in a thick darkness that night. He held her close but every so often she would pull away, determined that she could walk by herself before stumbling back into his arms and laughing loudly. Though Loke didn't say much to stop her, he was afraid that the foreigner would hear her laughter and drunken slurs and attempt to follow, and even if he was as kind as he tried to appear Loke coudl not trust him to know where Cana and the rest of the Fairy Tail women would be sleeping. The stranger wasn't a part of their guild and for that reason alone he would protect the girls from him. "I wish you would be more aware of your effect on men, Cana…" Loke whispered with a heavy sigh as he once again held her up.

She grinned. "Men like you?"

He turned away. "Yes, Cana, men like me."

She blinked, realising that if she were sober – or at least her regular state of drunk – she may have pieced something more from his statement or at least twisted it into some obscene joke. As it happened, however, she was distracted by the sights around her, looking around and beginning to become aware that she had no idea where she was. This was a corner of Magnolia that she had never had any need to venture down, even when on the most obscure of missions, but she was clear from the huge houses and giant gardens that these people would have had money to burn on her fortune telling. "Um, Loke…? Fairy Hills is that way…" she said, pointing.

He gave a small smile, not wanting to tell her that she was pointing in the wrong direction and that Fairy Hills was in fact the complete opposite way. She had successfully realised he was taking her elsewhere, at least. "I know. I'm taking you back to mine," he told her casually.

She pushed herself off him again, suddenly looking flustered as her cheeks turned bright red. "Loke-I-not-"

"Relax, I don't mean like that," he said, trying not to be offended by her reaction. They had both stumbled on Gray's house multiple times, the boys were both under fear of death if they even attempted to pass into Fairy Hills, but as far as Loke was aware no one had ever tried to find his own home. It had probably been for the best, he decided, but tonight was no ordinary night. "I don't want you by yourself tonight, that's all Cana. So, if it's alright by you I have a few spare rooms I wouldn't mind you sharing."

Cana blinked again, tilting her head to the side. "A… Few…. Spare rooms?"

He smiled kindly, hand gripping the huge rusty gate in front of them as it creaked loudly. "It isn't as magnificent as it may sound," he told her, offering her hand to lead into the crumbling mansion.

Cana looked at his hand and looked up at the building he was trying to enter as if he had momentarily lost his mind. It seemed unreal. The gates that he was standing between were ancient and flaking red rust into his hands, but must have once been grand and beautiful and at first glance the entire building seemed to be wealthy beyond measure. Unfortunately, she only had to take the smallest of steps forward to realise that the walls were crumbling, most of the windows broken and a smell of damp resonating even before they had even stepped through the huge front doors. "How did you… get a place like this…?" she gasped as she looked up at the huge wooden doors, amazed that she hadn't even realised a place like this existed in Magnolia.

A sadness filled Loke's eyes as he led her forwards. "It was… an inheritance…" he explained softly as best he could, knowing that he had very little right to stay within these walls. He had stumbled upon the mansion a couple of years before he had fallen to Earthland, but he had spent much longer in these halls over a century ago: It had belonged to a previous master, and when he had found the grand building had fallen into disrepair, it quickly became a blessing in disguise. "I warn you, this place is less than safe: Magnolia counsellors have said that the home is too dangerous to stay standing. If it can't be repaired in a year, they'll tear it down," he explained, sounding surprisingly indifferent.

"That's… awful…" Cana whispered, running her fingers over the once loved mahogany stairwells and twisted figures. It may have crumbling but Loke had at least kept it exceptionally clean. At least, that's what she had assumed.

"Master Loke," the woman greeted them, blinking rapidly as she held the gleaming candle in front of her and suppressed the urge to rub her tired eyes. "I'm sorry, I had not expected for you to return home this evening," she said, and bowed low in front of Cana, dowsing herself in shadows as she did so. "Do not feel intimidated by my presence, I am only a mere servant," she advised the woman before her, as she had clearly advised a great many more women before.

Loke stepped quickly forwards between them both, realising the mistake he may have caused and realising the sudden need for introductions. "I should have let you know we were coming. Angea, this is Cana," he explained. "She will be staying in one of the guest rooms tonight."

"The guest room?" the pink haired woman blinked in surprise.

"Yes, Angea," Loke said a little more forcefully.

The servant clearly seemed to think that she must have still misheard, but did not dare press this further. "Of course, the room in the West Wing is already prepared for female guests," she said, once again bowing her head. "I apologise, Master Loke. I was unprepared. I should have been here to greet you. You may punish me as you will."

Cana flinched backwards, eyes wide. "Uh, what kind of… 'arrangement' do you have with your staff here, Loke?" Cana asked.

Loke laughed, but it was Angea who explained "I'm not actually a member of staff, nor am I paid by Master Loke. I just like to be around."

Loke nodded, realising that Cana was now giving him dubious looks and possibly preparing for some lecture on slavery. "Angea stays here for free but she insists on being 'useful'," he shrugged. "I'm sorry I woke you again, Angea. Please go back to sleep."

The woman bowed her head once again. "Of course, Master Loke. I have heard wonderful things about you, Lady Cana. I hope you enjoy your time here," she said, disappearing back into the shadows, though Cana suspected that she was still lurking ready to deal with any lingering requests.

"Uh…" Cana said, following Loke and quickly feeling herself sober as she was flooded with impossible visions. It was all too bizarre for even her drunken mind to have conjured. "You really let her call you 'Master'?" she questioned Loke as she followed him up the staircase, hopping the steps two at a time.

Loke chuckled to himself, though even Cana could see the sadness was still in his eyes. "She reminds me of an old friend…" he said, knowing that having Angea around only made his distance from his zodiac team even more painful, but it was a reminder that he couldn't shake himself from. "When I found… inherited… this place, she was here alone. Her family had served the family of this mansion for generations and she knows nothing else. I've tried to teach her to make a life for herself but she seems to like serving. I only hope once…" he hesitated. "Once this place is pulled down, she can find her own way."

"Why don't you repair this place? I mean, this is your home. I'm sure if you asked the guild would help too," Cana asked, though as soon as she did the floorboard beneath her feet gave way. She yelped, jumping back and looking back at the hole that her tiny footsteps had created. "Uh, sorry…"

He only shook his head, seemingly unsurprised that her steps had caused more injury to the ancient house. "It hardly seems worth it," he admitted, knowing that he would be long gone before the mansion could be pulled apart. He could feel the ache growing worse with every day and the indefinite timescale of his life was reaching an end sooner rather than later. Not that he could explain that to Cana.

Cana pursed her lips but kept walking, realising that the mysterious mage was slowing down. She was almost completely sober now, or at least a manageable level of drunk, and her eyes were alight at all the new sights, beautiful pictures across the walls and the very likely chance of falling straight through the floor if she took the wrong step. She took Loke's arm once more, holding tightly but this time not using him to support her wobbling legs. He didn't acknowledge the change, however, simply opening the new door and showing her a beautiful room.

"Will this do?" he asked.

Cana felt like laughing. It would certainly do; it looked like the fancy hotels that she could only afford if some generous rich man had appointed her a particularly wealthy mission. Even as she stepped forwards and could see the cracks weaving through the ceiling and the damp smell through the heavy curtains, she felt as if for a moment she could be a princess in these walls. "It's incredible," she said, sitting on the bed as Loke moved to the wardrobe. "I guess in a place this size you could have several girlfriends hidden in here at the same time, right?" she grinned to him, feeling the thick quilt under her fingernails.

He smirked. "It has happened before, yes" he admitted, pulling out one of the most respectable nightgowns he had. The guests in this room didn't usually have standards when it came to covering themselves so he struggled to find anything appropriate to give to his friend, though he knew that it would only be for his own good. Cana was a friend, just a friend, and the less he saw her as a beautiful woman the stronger their relationship would be. He sighed, putting the oversized shirt on the bed and coming over to sit beside her.

Cana's head fell on his shoulder. "Thanks," she whispered, not even looking to the clothing rested next to her.

He felt himself tense, suddenly unsure how to act. His instincts were to wrap his arms around her, but while his instincts were to also whisper sweet words to her as he pushed her down onto the bed and kissed her, he knew he simply couldn't trust those instincts. Things used to feel natural when it was the three together and even when it had split into pairs there had been an ease to their relationship that meant if he wanted to pin her down he could. If he wanted to kiss her he could. She probably would have laughed and kicked him away, but it simply would have been another part of the joke.

"That guy wasn't so bad, you know," Cana's words broke the silence before Loke could, pulling her hair behind her ear and staring into the darkness. "It was my fault. I keep forgetting when I'm not around you guys I need to be careful. I just forget that I don't have you and Gray looking out for me, protecting me from shit like that. Not that I would need protecting from it. He was just a guy, we were just flirting," she sighed, picking at the beads in her armband. "And you're right; I should remember what effect I have on men…"

Although Loke was somewhat impressed she had even been capable of remembering his warning through her drunken haze, he frowned. "He was going too far," he growled.

"He really wasn't," Cana shook her head, pulling back from Loke and trying to push his worried look out of the back of her mind. "He wanted to take me home and everything that I had done up until that point had told him that I wanted to, too. I did want to. But I just freaked out. I told him I didn't want to, I couldn't, and suddenly you were there. I'm such a freak," she said, groaning and throwing herself back onto the bed, staring at the cracks across the ceiling and wondering how long it would be until they caved in.

Loke raised an eyebrow, trying to follow her argument and decide what was drunken confession and what was Cana simply being Cana. "You're not a freak."

"I'm an insult to Team Pervert," she muttered.

Loke laughed. "Team Pervert?" he questioned. It had been many years since he had heard that, and he could almost hear Gray's complaining just from the simple words. "You are what makes Team Pervert, Cana. Besides, we all know that you're more perverted than the rest of us put together," he said, climbing over the bed beside her as she kept her eyes pinned on the ceiling.

She couldn't hide the dryness in her voice. "You think I'm more perverted than a man whore and a stripper combined?" she asked, uncertain if she should be taking offense, even if it was a title she wore with pride.

He shrugged, falling onto his back. "Perhaps," he said. "I'd say you have a dirtier mind than both of us, even if you don't act on it," he admitted, surprised at just how seriously he was discussing the technicalities of who was the most perverted. He knew it was a distraction, he knew that this entire evening was just a distraction. The fact that she would even mention Team Pervert meant it was clearly at the edge of her mind, however, and no matter how much drink entered her system she couldn't fight her worry. "It's been a while since you've been this drunk. Two years, maybe?" he asked tentatively.

She bit her lip. If she hadn't been so drunk she never would have gotten herself chucked out of Fairy Tail, even if it was by an inexperienced barmaid. She would have never fallen into a different bar without the supervision of her favourite wingmen, and she would have never almost gone home with a stranger. She never would have done any of these things if she wasn't terrified and suppressing the secret fears. "Stupid fucking bastard…" she hissed.

Loke glanced back to Cana, seeing angry tears in the corners of her eyes. He had known that she was afraid, that she was battling the demons of their shared mistakes, but he could have never imagined her struggle ran so deep it would manifest itself into such bitterness. "He'll be alright…" Loke tried to say.

"You don't know that," Cana hissed, staring back at Loke with painfully sharp eyes. "You can't know that, no one can. It's an S-Class mission. He's a fucking idiot. I swear if they come back in one piece I'm going to kill him, and Natsu, and that little blond bitch."

"Lucy?" Loke questioned hesitantly. "I'm not sure how much she has to do with this…"

"Your favourite celestial wizard?" Cana questioned, looking at him before she decided it was impossible to decide whether Loke loved her or hated her. "You only like her because she's cute and has huge tits. But sure, leave the bimbo, I'll kill Happy instead. He's the one that stole the mission," she ranted.

Loke rolled his eyes, sighing. "You're not going to kill anyone," he insisted.

"Yes, I am," she hissed. "Especially Gray. I swear if he dies out there I will bring him back and kill him myself."

Loke sunk back onto the bed, letting Cana's raving wash over his thoughts. He could understand Cana's anger, it was an anger that flooded through his own veins, but more than anger he felt himself sharing the instincts of the Ice Maker. When they had first realised that Natsu, Happy and Lucy had disappeared to an island of demons in search for the elusive S-Class victory, Loke had felt his own heart jumping in his chest. He had been less than surprised that Gray had taken the rescue mission as his own cause. "Last time we sat and did nothing, and someone died…" he whispered gently, feeling Cana suddenly flinch beside him. "You know how close Gray can be to Natsu, and how guilty he feels. You can't tell me that you didn't want to go and help, too."

Cana gripped the bedsheets tightly, blinking quickly to keep her eyes dry. "The Master told me that if I tried to follow I wouldn't be allowed into the next S-Class trial," she swallowed hard.

Never before had Loke ever suspected that the master knew what had happened to their team those two years ago, but the old man was surprisingly perceptive and with those words the celestial spirit felt certain that the Makarov knew just how strong her instincts were. He had targeted the only thing in the world that came close to Cana's desire to protect her friends, and even then it had taken copious amounts of alcohol to distract Cana enough to stay. It felt dirty, but Loke was eternally grateful Cana hadn't been pulled into the same mess. "Natsu is strong, and Lucy seems to have potential. With Gray there too, I'm sure they'll be fine," Loke whispered.

Cana pulled herself up, her hand running through her hair as she looked around before twisting the strap across her chest and diving into her blue bag. She ignored as Loke sat up and looked at her curiously, needing only to feel the comforting feeling of the cards across her fingers. She picked them up, cursing as they slipped and losing her patience as she instead emptied her bag onto the bed and began to hunt for a particular one.

"You're using your fortune telling?" Loke asked curiously, unsure if that was a good idea to keep her fears at bay after their last experience.

Cana shook her head, spreading the cards out and looking for a particular kind. "I already asked them. I got the same card you and Gray got last time. You know the nostalgia one? Upside down and everything. Well, duh," she shook her head, realising that Gray would no doubt be fighting his personal demons while stopping the S-Class quest, though she could have never expected it to be so literal. Eventually she found one, picking up the small chibi version of Loke imprinted on the paper. She placed it to one side, searching for the rest of her collection.

Loke reached out and took the card into his hands, recognising it and knowing this was one of the very few cards that Cana would have no issue with him handling. "Hey, this is the card you used in the S-Class challenge…" he realised, seeing the small Loke was quite peacefully resting within the golden boarder under his name. "I didn't realise that you kept it."

Cana nodded, blushing slightly. "I kept all of my partner's 'help' cards," she explained, finding Levy's figure resting peacefully within her own paper archway and placing it where she had placed Loke's. She would organise the remaining cards at a later date, but right now these were the ones she cared for the most. She pulled on the final card, a breath of relief as she saw Gray's avatar still inside of the paper, holding it in her hands tightly.

Almost as soon as it was in her fingers, the avatar began to animate, warning her that Gray's life was in danger.

* * *

 **I'm back!**

 **Not sure how regularly I'll be writing but I had a long train ride home and thought I'd come up with this chapter (and the next, which isn't finished).  
**

 **For some reason I loved the idea of Loke having some huge mansion, and had to come up with a reason why he wouldn't just give it to Lucy. Actually, I love the idea of it crumbling even more. Metaphors and all that.**

 **A lot of writers have the rule of not naming small characters, which I'd normally agree with. I only wanted to name her to make it obvious that the woman here is not Virgo, but she is so similar that Loke likes to keep her around : 3 I also had a rule that in this story on Cana, Loke and Gray would actually have a speaking role, but that's now been abandoned in both this chapter and the next haha**

 **Thanks for your reviews and feedback as always!**

* * *

 **"So we've finally got to canon..."**  
 **"I'm pretty sure that I was fighting Lyon at this point."**  
 **"I can see what's happening"**  
 **"Hm?"**  
 **"And they don't have a clue"**  
 **"Cana don't."**  
 **"They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line; our trios down to two."**  
 **"Cana how many times have I warned you about singing the Lion King."**  
 **"Or Disney in general."**  
 **"BUT YOU'RE MY LION KING AND ICE PRINCESS."**  
 **"...Don't you dare."**


	8. A Mutual Friend

**I'm still alive! It feels like an age since I've posted something haha... haha... *twitch twitch*  
I am still writing. I just happen to have 5 unfinished chapters I'm wrestling lol**

* * *

"I can't sit here and do nothing!" Cana announced as she ran forwards, ignoring as Loke tried to pull her back.

"Cana… Cana it's the middle of the night…" Loke whispered desperately, hoping at the very least that she could take his whispers as a suggestion to lower her own voice.

"Tell me you don't see this!" Cana stopped, pushing the card into Loke's face. "I don't care it's the middle of the night! Gray needs our help, tell me you don't see that!"

Loke sighed, taking her hand. He was worried, terrified even, but he had seen death and suffering a thousand times over his extended years and knew that the prospect of danger was usually even more hazardous than the danger itself. "Yes, Cana, I see it…" he said, trying to keep his voice calming for her. "But you already know that there's nothing we can do. He's all the way on Galuna Island, and even if we could get anyone to take us - _in the middle of the night_ – you've already been warned that you can't follow."

She shook her head quickly, turning back on her heels and continuing to run towards the docks. "I don't care. I don't care if I'm going to get chucked out of the S-Class trial or even out of the whole guild. I'm going. I'm going and no one can stop me."

She said just before crashing into Erza Scarlet. Cana fell backwards onto her back, the card slipping from her grasp as she hit the ground heavily. Cursing to herself, she nursed her head, struck the hard metal armour worn by the fierce requip wizard. She didn't think anything would have been able to stop her from running to the docks but Erza had somehow both unintentionally stopped her in her tracks and kept her in enough sudden fear to stop her from getting up.

The redhead's eyes fixed on Cana, clearly a little overwhelmed herself that Cana had fallen so easily and wondering if she was intoxicated. "Ah, I'm glad to see that you found Loke," she nodded as her gaze fell upon the secret celestial spirit, though she was still giving him a slightly warning gaze. Loke may have been a nakama, but that didn't mean she had to fully trust him with a drunk woman. "The girls at Fairy Hills were concerned, and I felt it was my responsibility to ensure you came home safely," she nodded proudly.

Cana's mouth hung open slightly, glancing back at Loke. "Uh… Yeah, well, we were just… On our way…" she murmured, reaching out for the dropped card.

Erza's eyes followed her attention, realising that the magical card was at her feet. Feeling especially helpful, she bent down and picked it up, ready to pass it to Cana when the message revealed itself. The soft 'danger' warning echoed through the night air, the image of her friend bouncing up and down waving his arms as the bright words gleamed. Erza's eyes fixated on the card, and on the name. "What is this?" she questioned, a deep frown settling on her expression.

Cana's heart raced inside her chest as she pulled herself quickly to her feet. Erza was the last person that she wanted here, one of the few people that could potentially stop their rescue mission. "It's Gray's partner card," she said stiffly, reaching to take it back from her.

"I remember," Erza said sharply. It had been this card that she had almost sliced in two at her S-Class trial, complaining to Cana that it was defunct and that she would have never put Gray in real danger. As it turned out, they had all been in considerably more danger than they had first realised and Cana's card had been the warning that had saved them all. "Why is it flashing? Where is Gray?" she questioned sharply.

"On an S-Class mission, with Natsu and Lucy and Happy," Loke said quickly, not even certain if Cana would admit it. "Or at least, he's trying to stop the others from taking the mission, but he left the day before yesterday and none of them have come back yet."

Erza gritted her teeth together, sharply drawing a breath. "Idiots. Tell me where this mission is," she urged them both quickly.

"We're going to get him," Cana exclaimed, gripping her fists tightly. "You can't stop us!"

"Cana…" Loke breathed.

Erza's earlier kindness turned instantly cold. "If they are in an S-Class mission we can't allow anyone who is not an S-Class member to be placed in danger. There is a reason only S-Class members are permitted to do these missions."

"Oh, come on, I'm close enough!" Cana proclaimed.

Erza's eyes flashed dangerously. "Close enough?"

Loke put his hands on Cana's shoulders, feeling the terrifying anger resonating from the requip wizard and desperately trying to pull the card Mage from her. Everyone knew how frightening the requip wizard could be but it seemed that Cana's determination had momentarily made her blind to the proud rage emanating from her rival. "C-Cana, Erza can help bring Gray and the others back without putting anyone else in danger," he said, his words trying to be soothing. "Besides, it isn't as if they're actually going to complete the mission. Just bring them home safely, right Erza?"

Erza nodded sharply. "It wouldn't be right to take any reward from a job if we never officially accepted it. Another guild may take the mission. Please, tell me which mission it was, time is clearly a factor here."

Cana wrestled with herself. The card was still flashing, the words of danger still ringing both through the alleyway and through her mind. Erza was the best person for the job, the only one that she would have trusted with such an overpowering danger and she knew without a doubt that she would do everything in her power to protect her two protégés. And there was still the lingering punishment over her head, knowing that if she even so much as stepped onto a boat the master would hear of it and strip her of all opportunity to ever become an S-Class wizard alongside her father. If she wasn't nominated this year, the chances of missing the year after would be even higher and Cana simply couldn't take the crippling defeat. She turned her head to the side, refusing to speak but allowing Loke to explain for her.

"The mission was on Galuna Island. We already know that it would be difficult to get a boat there and-"

"I know of the mission," Erza said, thankfully realising it had been one that was on the board before her last mission away. She had glanced at it several times but while the details were so vague she hadn't been able to convince herself it was worth the reward. She had no need for a celestial key, after all. "Thank you, both. I will make sure that they are brought back for punishment."

* * *

Cana curled up onto Loke's chest, eyes closed as she let herself finally rest. She hadn't thought that she would be able to get a second of sleep even once the flashing light on her danger card stopped, but the soft purr of Loke's steady breathing was enough to relax her enough to close her eyes and drift into exhaustion. It was the last thing she heard as she fell asleep and the first thing she felt as she woke, a growing sense of comfort that she was right and Loke _did_ purr. And it was adorable. She smiled to herself, fully awake but content enough to stay nestled in his arms for a little longer.

"Karen…"

Cana barely heard the name it was spoken so softly. At first, she had misheard it as her own name before realising it was definitely different. While it wasn't strange that Loke had been dreaming of women, she was genuinely surprised that he named one. It was a name she had heard before, she realised through some distant memory, though at the time she hadn't thought to mention it. Now his eyes were opening, his breathing becoming deeper as he fell back into consciousness and she was certain whatever his dreams had held had woken him.

She pulled herself up, yawning and feigning how long she had really been awake. She let him wake gently as she reached over to the side table, spinning Gray's card in her fingers and showing her friend the comfort that Gray was no longer in danger. She told herself that Erza was already with him, that she had swooped in and protected them all and they would be returning to the guild at the next possible moment, but she also knew that this simply wasn't the Fairy Tail way.

"That's good to know," Loke said.

Cana had to agree, it was good to know. She put the card down safely, tucking it back into her pack where she could easily reach it once more. It would go off several more times over the next days, but it was at least always close to hand now. "Who's Karen?" she asked suddenly, keeping her eyes on the cards.

Loke hesitated. "Which Karen?" he asked.

Cana could hear the strain in his voice, the delay to his answer. She suspected that they all had multiple secrets from one another – after all, she had told no one of her relation to Guildarts - but none had ever been quite so obvious before. "The one you mentioned in your sleep," she shrugged, trying to sound disinterested. "It didn't seem like a very nice dream."

Loke frowned. He was so close to his end and he had avoided these awkward conversations for the last three years, he only had weeks left and Cana was pulling on his deception like a fraying thread. His eyes glazed over, blaming the poor eyesight as he leaned over to the bedside table and pushing on the spectacles. "I expect it wasn't," he explained casually.

Cana's curiosity was ignited now. There were none of Loke's numerous female relations that Cana could pull apart from the others, except possibly herself, but she couldn't even imagine him calling her name in his sleep. "Is she not a nice woman?" she coaxed gently, pulling her deck of cards into her lap and shuffling carefully.

Loke looked uncomfortable. "They say you should never speak ill of the dead. But no, no she was not."

Cana drew a breath through her teeth. She hadn't expected that reaction and wasn't quite sure where she should stand. She wanted to apologize but it was clear he didn't consider it a loss, and then she wanted to apologize for whatever she had clearly put him through. Either way, Loke was standing now and walking away from the conversation. She smirked, knowing he was asking for a change in subject. "By the way, why do you own more shirts than Gray?" she teased.

"What do you mean?" Loke asked curiously, looking back at her. "At least I wear them."

"I have _never_ seen you in a shirt," she laughed, climbing off the bed and pulling the edge of his shirt down over her legs. "I'm sure you only own them to dress women in."

He gave her a knowing smile, unable to argue with her logic when she looked incredible dressed in his shirt. It was where their relationship lingered into territory he wasn't certain he could cope with. With his days numbered and Cana innocence combined looking at her in this way could only lead to danger. "I used to like dressing smartly," he admitted. "That was some time ago now."

"Was that with Karen?"

Loke was trying his hardest to be as patient as he could be. He knew what Cana was suggesting, but he knew he couldn't dismiss her theories when the truth would hurt her so much more. "Yes, actually, it was," he shrugged, staying purposefully vague once more. "As I say, it was a long time ago. Now we should get ready, I'm sure we'll have an interesting day of fighting the rumours when we turn up to the guild together."

"Oh man, I've missed those rumours!" Cana grinned mischievously. "They were the funniest part of hanging with you two," she reminisced happily. "It's not as if anyone could really believe that we were in a three-way relationship, could they?"

Loke shrugged. "I'm not sure, I think sometimes I even had myself convinced," he admitted a little more truthfully than his joking tone may have suggested. "It's a shame that Gray couldn't turn up with us, that would have been even better."

Cana rolled her eyes, pulling on her trousers and ignoring Loke's inability to turn away from her changing. "Honestly, I don't think we'll be seeing much of him anymore now Erza's got his teeth stuck into him. You heard Mirajane called them Fairy Tail's Strongest Team?"

"Jealousy does not suit you well, Cana," Loke shook his head, wondering what had happened to the panicked woman from last night ready to abandon everything for the Ice Maker.

"Ugh, whatever," she hissed, pushing her top under the oversized shirt and doing her best to get changed without revealing herself completely to Loke, mostly because she knew how much it tortured him rather than any resemblance to real modesty. "All I'm saying is I'm going to kill all of them for dragging him into this mess. Especially Gray," she said for the hundredth time before quickly grabbing her bag, stealing another glance down to the card and expecting it to burst into life once more and warn them of a new pressing danger. She slowed suddenly, absorbed in the expectation as her breathing hushed. "You do think that they'll be alright, don't you?" she whispered quietly.

Loke was confident, but surprised. He knew that Cana had been worried, but this was the first time that she had mentioned the entire team. He didn't know if it was because of the addition of Erza, but since it seemed strikingly obvious that no harm would come to the S-Class wizard it stood to reason that she had finally began to realise that even if she knew that Gray was safe it didn't mean that the rest of her nakama weren't also protected. "Natsu and Gray are strong. I've not seen much of Lucy," he murmured 'thankfully' under his breath quietly before continuing "but she seems to have strong spirits. With Erza, they'll be unstoppable. Erza would never let any harm come to them."

"That's what they said about Mirajane."

The words stung them both deeply. For a moment neither spoke, a rare moment of uncomfortable silence between the pair as Cana brushed past him towards the doorway, murmuring something about returning to the guild as she waved her thoughts away.

"They're probably back already…" Loke continued as he followed her obediently, awkwardly glancing up as he heard a splintering crack from the ceiling, knowing that he wouldn't dare let Cana or any other company stay in this room again.

"Sure, sure," Cana said, learning her lesson from before and taking each step out of the mansion with care. It was easier that morning to find her way through the rotting wood and cracked steps, but the day only brought to light just how broken the home truly was. In the darkness, there had been something alluring about the huge building, every crack and creak adding to the overall charm and character. Now it was light she could only find herself filled with sadness, seeing that there had been great strain just to keep the building standing for as long as it had. Desperate efforts to covered the worst of the disrepairs but were clear in the sunlight streaming through the few non-boarded windows. "I'll give Erza a chance. If they're not back first thing in the morning I'll go out there, you realise."

"If they're not back by the morning, I'll be dragging you myself," Loke assured her.

Cana grinned, finally seeing the passion and caring that he had been so carefully trying to cover with logic. It just didn't feel very Fairy Tail without diving off into danger, but if they went to 'recover' someone every time they had spent too long in a mission they wouldn't be anyone left in the guild. With that she had more energy in her steps, wishing the strange servant the very loudest of well wishes as they ran out and went to enjoy a new day within their beloved guild under the promise that either way, tomorrow was going to bring a better day.

Tomorrow would have to be better, when today brought devastation.

"What happened…?" Loke asked, his eyes wide as he took a staggered step back.

"And I thought your place was bad…" Cana breathed.

They both stared towards the guildhall, slowly joined by equally shocked nakama and curious civilians staring in disbelief at what remained. The building, their home and their livelihoods, looked as if a particular harsh gust of wind would tear it from its foundations. Huge blocks of metal jutted out of the hall, the name of the guild smashed into pieces, a clear message for all of Magnolia to see. Fairy Tail had made a powerful enemy.

* * *

 **And Phantom Lord begins...**

 **So this is the problem with following canon. There are a lot of restrictions on times, and places and who is where when. It'll get even more confusing next chapter, as canon takes Gray straight from the guild into Lucy's home. Hm. And unlike usual, I actually don't have the next chapter written before I've posted this one. Yes, yes, I could just break canon slightly, but I really don't want to. I mean, this story is almost more of a collection of one-shots at the moment anyway.**

 **This I expect this is probably very different from what you'll expect of Galuna angst. And I broke my 'only GLC talk' rule. I promise we'll see more from Gray's side soon (when I finally get around to writing). Any ideas/inspirations please let me know?**


	9. Homeward Bound

The underground basement of the Fairy Tail guild hall quickly regained the stale smell of alcohol from the ground floor, if not stronger now that they were literally weaving between the kegs. It was dangerous territory for the worst drunkards of the guild, and if not for the unfortunate circumstances Cana may have thought she'd died and gone to alcoholic heaven.

"Cana, I thought you said we were leaving first thing in the morning," Loke hissed.

"Yah, yah," she waved him off, a cheeky rose blush against her cheeks as she brought the tankard back to her lips once more. "We will, we will. But it would be rude to say no to a drink with the master," she said, raising her cup to the equally drunk old man with a beaming grin across her face, tactfully ignoring the perverted glances he was giving her.

Loke gritted his teeth, now finally starting to grow angry. The guild hall let in precious little light even on the ground floor, but now that they were in the basement it was almost impossible to count the passage of time. Even still, he had hoped to see some of the fierce concern that he had seen earlier, much earlier. He was beginning to suspect Cana may have only sounded so passionate because of just the right level of alcohol. Now she was beyond that point and clearly beyond caring. "Cana, it's almost midday," he hissed again, glancing back to the master that she sat close to, awkwardly waiting for him to stop their rescue mission before it had even begun.

"What?!" the drunk girl exclaimed, so shocked that she slipped backwards and fell straight back onto the floor.

Loke pushed back his glasses, frustrated as his brow creased. She was in no state to leave any time soon, nor were any of them prepared to react if another attack was to land on their beloved guild. They had been lucky so far; Phantom Lord had attacked during the night when no one was present to be caught in the vicious assault, but next time they may not get away so easily. Cana, however, was clearly more concerned with her drunken self-destruction, taking her time to pull herself up from her fall.

"Hey, look, Erza's back."

"And Natsu and Gray are with her."

Loke and Cana suddenly looked up, realising that the guild gossip had finally stumbled across some truth. The new team were making their way down the stairs, looking at the basement in the same wide eyed wonder that they had when first slipping down from the decimated ground floor, the same looks of uncontrollable anger flooding their expressions. Cana edged forward using her upturned chair to pull closer, while Loke breathed out in relief, pushing his glasses back.

The energy from the guild was lifting from its darkness, the anger from Erza, Natsu, Gray, Happy and even the newest recruit, Lucy, pulsated through every wizard in the broken hall as they desperately asked for explanations and vengeance. It was an understandable reaction from any member of Fairy Tail, but Loke's eyes were pinned on Gray in search of more, watching him for hints of a damage his other nakama would not be able to see so easily.

For the briefest of moments, Gray looked back to Loke, and turned swiftly away. With all the pounding anger, it was nearly impossible to read the what hidden emotions may have flickered in his eyes, but the celestial spirit couldn't help but feel his penetrative gaze was being avoided. Unsure what to make of it, he glanced down, seeing Cana was still on her knees. "Are you alright?" he questioned, unsure how much he should be helping when she had clearly put herself in this situation.

A weary smile landed on her face as she gave a thumbs-up. "Much better… I'll be much better when I kill them all…"

X

The warming atmosphere of the guild had been replaced by something wholly more sombre and less sober, and Gray couldn't stand it for another moment longer. As Mira explained the details of exactly what repairs had and hadn't been made, informing his new team of the revised procedures for guild quests, Gray slipped between the cracks and mumbled something about a headache. It was certainly a believable explanation, as the new scar across his forehead was still red and raw, and there was a very real lingering pain throbbing inside. He could have just been honest and explained that he was going for fresh air, or rather to enjoy a less than fresh version of air from outside, but the last thing he wanted was for someone to offer their company.

He leaned back against the side of his broken guildhall, cigarette packet twitching in his hands as he pulled one out. Last one. This would definitely be the last one. It had to be if he had any hopes of keeping up with the dragon slayer and his body wasn't going to stay fit forever if he kept abusing his habit. He had made the decision to quit while on Galuna Island, a decision that he told himself had nothing to do with the desperate plea of his friend reminding him that he didn't want him to die. Whatever the reason, now he finally was starting to let the idea creep into his mind that his days weren't as numbered as they may have seemed, or that he once may have hoped. If he had to stick around for the sake of his friends and not burn in a heroic last stand, it was about time he started looking after himself.

That would be tomorrow. Today was definitely not a good day to quit, he thought to himself as he pressed his shoulder blades against the familiar sturdy wooden blocks of the guildhall, trying to avoid the unnerving cold metal that jutted out into the nearby street. This time quitting would be more than just feeble words, just as soon as the chaos of the guild's attack passed. Last one.

Not that he had much of a choice judging from the murderous look in Cana's eyes as she quickly approached him.

A heavy slap landed straight across his face, sending the last of the last cigarette flying onto the ground, and suddenly he was reminded why this woman was an S-Class contender. It might have just been the wound already throbbing on his head, or the powerful emotion behind her assault, but either way it hurt like hell. "You-you-you-" she stuttered, her fists clenching tightly as she stared at him.

Gray watched her patiently, not even daring to defend himself against another attack, though he saw the Loke hovering just behind the drunk ready to hold her back. It didn't seem all too long ago that he was pulling Cana back from throwing emotional punches towards the ring wizard, though if those had hit half as hard as this one, Loke had certainly hid it well. Drawing in a slow breath, Gray stood taller, respectful enough to acknowledge his friend's distress. "Yeah, I know," he said, knowing he was the only other Fairy Tail member to fully understand the violent reaction. "I did what I had to."

"You could have been _killed_ ," Cana hissed at him, frowning heavily.

"So could Natsu," he replied monotonously, shrugging his shoulders. "So, could Lucy or Happy, if I hadn't gone and helped them. And actually, so could have a lot of people."

Loke's eyes scanned over his friend once again, certain now that he could hear his voice without the overpowering emotions from guild's attack, his earlier suspicions had been correct. Something had changed, something in his words and his eyes and the way he held himself, and Loke couldn't help but look at the red mark across his forehead, half-hidden by his dark hair. "What happened?" he asked.

Gray turned away. He had gone from the rollercoaster of emotions, injury and painful nostalgia and hadn't even had a chance to process most of what had happened. Everything seemed to be tied together so perfectly for everyone that he almost hadn't noticed the way that his old memories had twisted their way back to the front of his mind. He had new scars, and though he had told Lucy that he hadn't minded them while they were only physical, that didn't mean he hadn't gained new emotional ones as well, even if had helped others to heal. That was the problem with scars, however. They didn't heal, not fully, not ever. "I'm sorry I ran off without you guys," he said reluctantly, unable to look either of them in the eye. He had been so quick to be protective, not to mention defensive of his pride, that he had disappeared without a second thought of his two previous partners. "It was… a mess. I'm sure Natsu would be pretty offended if I robbed him of the chance of telling you what happened, or just any excuse to talk," he said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Like he needs an excuse to talk," Cana rolled her eyes.

"Gray, right now we don't care what happened to Natsu," Loke said, surprisingly honest as he too had his arms folded across his chest. Seeing that Gray was already throwing up his walls, he needed to be firm. "Did you tell them about the S-Class mission?"

"What?" Gray hissed, stepping forward with his eyes wide. Cana was flinching, either from the verbalised reminder or from the Ice Maker's sudden reaction. "Do you think I'm crazy?!" he asked, his voice quiet but growling, reminding Loke just how close they were to Natsu's particularly sensitive hearing skills.

Loke held up his hands, shaking his head. "I was just checking…" he said, twisting his mouth and wondering if it would have been the disaster that Gray seemed to think it was. It had been two years and the guild had completely shifted form since then. It was clear that Natsu and Gray were finally closer than ever; no one could have ever believed the two would be going on missions together, with Erza no less. "We know you were in danger. Cana's partner card got her freaking out."

Gray raised his eyebrow, taking a few seconds to remember the card before turning to the drunk woman. "Stalker, much?"

Cana just rolled her eyes. "You're in no position of moral high ground, mister stripper," she slurred, pointing to the naked body before her.

"Fucks sake…" he complained, looking down and realising that she was correct and he had once again lost his clothes.

"You got beat up good…" Loke commented. While the scar across his forehead was the most obvious injury, the Ice Maker had cuts and bruises across his body, though many of them had clearly come a long way to healing. The worst of these were under white bandages which he had thankfully not undressed subconsciously, hiding the true extent of the damage beneath. "I hope you gave as good as you got."

"A thousand-fold, of course," he grinned, actually looking quite proud of himself. "I've never lost to the same guy twice since getting my guildmark. I'm not about to start now."

Cana rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, we know, we know. That saying's gonna bite you in the ass one day, you realise," she complained. "Also, I'm pretty sure Erza has kicked your ass more than once."

"Natsu probably has at some point, too," Loke added, nodding with a grin.

"I'm pretty sure even _I_ have…" Cana said thoughtfully.

He just stared at them both. "Are you just here to insult and slap me?"

"I'm pretty certain this is the third time I've asked you what happened, and you keep avoiding the subject," Loke reminded him, frowning.

Gray let out a heavy sigh, leaning back and looking at the half cigarette that Cana had knocked onto the ground. It was supposed to be the last one, but did it count if he'd only enjoyed half of it? This wasn't the day for quitting, he'd already decided that, fingers itching for the familiar habit as he felt himself slipping back into the stressful situation. "Have I ever told you about Isvan?"

"Hm, let me think," Cana said, putting a hand on her hip. "Should we consult the book of 'Shit Gray has ever told us about himself'? Don't worry, it won't take long to check."

Gray frowned. "Hypocritical, but fair point…" he shrugged. "Isvan is where I grew up, and was where I was taught by my master Ur with another student, Lyon. We found that he was on Galuna Island and things got complicated," he put his hand on his forehead, feeling the new scar across his forehead and wondering how an ice wound could possibly burn so hot. "He was trying to resurrect a demon, which was causing a lot of issues and was essentially why we were called to the island."

"Is that how you got that nasty scar?" Cana asked curiously, leaning forwards and tilting her head. "It must have been pretty bad having to fight your old nakama."

Gray frowned. He was doing everything in his power to satisfy their curiosity while not letting himself open up to the aches that he could feel inside of him, protecting all of the new scars that were hurting just as much as the mark on his forehead. He couldn't shake the idea that Cana was making some comment on their own friendship, possibly to the last stand he and Loke had put up to attempt to stop her from taking the S-Class task two years ago, but the statement seemed innocent enough. If anything, it was surprisingly caring. "It wasn't easy," he let himself admit, unwilling to delve into just how difficult it had been, or the stakes that had been far higher than just an old friend. "We won, which is the important thing, I guess. He said that he'd be going back to working in another guild, so at least he seems to have found his way again. And Erza broke the moon. Yeah, it was a weird trip."

"Broke the… moon?" Loke questioned, not certain if Gray's head injury was possibly more severe than it seemed.

He smiled. "Yeah, that was my reaction too," he said, shaking his head.

There was a heavy laughter from behind the Ice Maker. Suddenly they all turned around, amazed that the pink haired Dragon Slayer had been quiet for long enough to sneak up behind Gray without alerting any of his old team. "You suck at telling stories, Gray!" Natsu grinned, turning to Loke and Cana. "We'll fill you in with all the exciting stuff soon, don't worry about that!"

Loke grinned back, folding his arms across his chest again, "Welcome back, Natsu."

"What are you doing here, Flame Brain?" Gray asked, more confused than malicious.

"Huh?" Natsu blinked, suddenly remembering he was actually there for a reason. "Oh, right! Gramps said we shouldn't be splitting up tonight but Lucy's already headed back to hers. C'mon, I know a shortcut, we can get there before her!"

Without any further need for explanation, Natsu was already running forwards, Happy flying up and circling around him as they chattered about all the ways they could surprise the celestial wizard after they broke into her home. They didn't look back to Gray, simply expecting him to follow.

Slowly, the Ice Maker took a small step back from Loke and Cana, shrugging his shoulders apologetically.

"It's OK, we'll catch up with you soon," Loke assured him, seeing he was clearly torn between his old party and new. It was all that Loke could have expected but he was glad to see that Gray seemed to be making the right choice. It was the one that would make him happy, but more importantly the one that would put him in the best position when it was finally time for the celestial spirit to leave this world.

Cana did not share the same sentiments. She watched as Gray ran to catch up with Natsu, even less impressed when she could hear Erza yelling something at them both and chasing after them. "Since when did they become the popular kids and we're left as the losers?" she huffed, angrily blowing back a stray hair that was dangled in front of her face as her arms folded tightly across her chest, pouting like a child.

Loke's grin passed back to Cana, leaning in close and staring at her intently. "If I didn't know you better I'd say you're jealous, Cana," he told her.

Cana rolled her eyes, turning away from the male wizard. " _Please_. Like I'd do anything to stop Natsu and Gray from sleeping together."

Loke couldn't help but laugh at that, even if he had to look hesitantly both back to where the Ice Maker and Dragon Slayer had run off, and back to the guild door. "You really ought to be more careful when you say things like that around the guild, Cana. If one of them heard you, I don't think I'd be able to save you," he said truthfully, even as he chuckled.

Cana gave a knowing grin. "What, poor drunken me who is obviously too intoxicated to know what she's talking about?" she said, sounding as if she was putting on her inebriation but the stumble forwards that married her words was a little too convincing for Loke's liking. "Besides, it's one of our favourite conversations in Fairy Hills," she said.

Loke looked at her from over his glasses, trying to find some hint of joking in the fumes of alcohol. "You're serious?"

Cana nodded, her smile spreading even further as she stretched. "Oh, always. We have bets and everything. Happy finds it hilarious. Before you ask, no one bets on you for anything, it's just far too obvious," she said, giving him a playful grin, "Speaking of Fairy Hills, I should probably head there if everyone's being told to stick together. Will you be alright finding somewhere tonight?" she asked, both dreading and hoping for him to request her presence at the broken mansion once again.

Loke nodded swiftly, though he knew that he would certainly be returning home even if only to check on Angea. If anything happened to the strange masochist while he wasn't there, he knew he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. "I'm sure I will," he assured her, knowing that even the seasoned drunk must be getting exhausted by now after over twenty-four hours of drinking. "And Cana?"

"Yes Loke?" she asked.

He pushed his glasses up, surprisingly serious and calm for just a moment. "I know it wasn't for long, but I've really enjoyed seeing you and Gray again today."

Cana's eyes grew wide. They saw each other every day at the guild, they were always in each other's company and there had never been anything there to stop the three of them from talking to each other. But they didn't. Cana knew exactly what he meant, nodding back to him as a smile that was almost sweet crossed her face. Then it was quickly replaced by laughter, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah," she waved off quickly as she turned on her impossible heels. "Get some beauty sleep, Loke. Whatever the master says now, you know we'll be dragged into some revenge soon enough, and we perverts have gotta look damn sexy while we kick ass."

He nodded, understanding that her sentiment was strong and filled with determination even if others may interpret it as the drunken ramblings of a playful young wizard. Loke knew better, and knew the strength that Cana pulled from her words. He, too, could feel that a fight would be close, but as he watched her leave he suddenly wanted to run up to her. He wanted to grab her by the arm and twist her around and warn her that this may be the last fight that they would ever have together. He wanted to hold her close and feel her tears while he was still there to do anything about them. But right now, she was happy. Even if their guild had been demolished and her friends were breaking apart he believed that her smile was sincere. A thin smile lay across his own face, letting her disappear none-the-wiser of his impending demise.

* * *

 **Hey Fairy Tail Fans! I'm still alive!**

 **I promise we'll have more Gray chapters soon! This was supposed to be a lot more angsty, but that guy is pretty slippery and good at avoiding these kinds of things. Oh well! More Loke angst, I guess.  
**

 **So I was writing this chapter at the same time as Forgive and Forget's second chapter, and they both touch on each other with Gray's smoking habit so I'm saying they're the same universe. Which Cana's getting a little... carried away with...**

 **"Cana again! So, apparently, there's this other story that's been written in our 'universe' called 'Forgive and Forget', and you should definitely read it."  
** **"You should definitely NOT read it."  
** **"It's super cute. You basically have Natsu and Gray fighting and then they screw up, but then they kiss and make up and its seriously cute. 'Oh, please never leave me, Natsu!' 'Oh Gray give me mouth to mouth again!'"  
** **"WHAT?! THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED!"  
** **"Um, Cana… what story were you reading? Gray's right, that sounds nothing like it."  
** **"Soooooo… You've got to read between the lines a little."  
** **"YOU'VE JUST COMPLETELY MADE THAT UP!"  
** **"I actually think I want to read the story you're describing, Cana. This needs to happen."  
** **"YES. We need a writer. Lucy! LUCY!"**

 **(*Gray is right, Cana is disillusion.)**


	10. Phantom Pains

Cana mumbled and grumbled to herself, pulling her bandages off her arm and tightening them once more. She hated the fabric constricting her shapely body, even as she knew that it was for a good cause. It had all been for a good cause, the best cause of them all. Fairy Tail had been saved, even if the walls had fallen she had defended their honour and would do so again with every last breath.

"I heard you did well," Gray grinned, walking up to the wounded card wizard as she sat on the cabin bed. "Working with Loke, too? That must have been pretty good."

She turned back up to her old comrade, a grin spreading across her face as she pulled back her long brown hair. She had heard about the Ice Maker's injuries while fighting Jose and was waiting for him to turn up at their newly constructed tent. She had been worried that she had missed him as the makeshift infirmary flooded and emptied, leaving only Cana to wrap her wounds once again. "Aha, yeah it was pretty good for all of ten seconds he was there," she rolled her eyes. "You haven't seen him, have you?"

Gray was a little surprised by the sudden accusation against their nakama, trying to recount what he had seen and heard of the mysterious ring mage. Taking a seat on the bed beside Cana, his movements were more hesitant than they should have been, a hand on his side. "Not since he brought Reedus back," he shrugged. "The rest of the guild were saying you were working well together...?" he tilted his head.

Cana rolled her eyes, once again getting annoyed and ripping off her bandage to start again. "Yeah, yeah. I may be overreacting a little. I just didn't expect to turn around and see he'd disappeared, even if it was to find Reedus. I should've known. Loke will fight harder than anyone to defend his guild."

"Maybe not as hard as you," Gray said truthfully, grabbing her arm before she could pull on the fabric again. "Max was worried about you. I think Macao still is," he frowned, taking the bandage out of her hands and twisting it through his own fingers to dress her wound tightly and securely.

"Macao is a sweetheart, isn't he?" she grinned.

Gray gave her a serious look. "He said that you were using up too much energy."

"Gray, you are seriously not one to talk," she said.

He frowned, accepting her words. He had just ran from an S-Class mission straight into fighting against an elite water witch and then the master of an rival guild. He had absolutely no right to be scolding Cana for her actions, especially when he felt so grateful to her courage and strength to defend her guild. He fastened the bandage tightly. "I know. That doesn't mean I don't understand that you should be careful."

"No, I mean, you literally shouldn't be talking. You're _bleeding_ ," she said, pulling back and looking at his side.

Gray noticed two things at that point. Firstly, and probably quite unsurprisingly, he was without his shirt. The action of removing his attire must have somehow ripped the stitches on his cold wounds, however, and as Cana pointed out they were now seeping into his own bandages. "For fucks sake…"

Cana laughed. It seemed like a cruel thing to laugh about, but his reaction just seemed so absurd. "Lean back, idiot," she said, pushing his chest back and beginning to tear apart his dirty bandages.

He blushed as she leaned forwards and unflinchingly placed herself onto his lap, straddled herself across his legs as her fingers tracing across his six-pack. "Uh, Cana…" he murmured, wondering if she realised just how close she was becoming.

She pulled her hair back with one hand, using the other to continue pulling on the bloody bandages and releasing his bare chest. "Sometimes I think you're getting yourself hurt just so you can be wearing _something_ to hide these beautiful abs," she teased him, not looking up or seeing the way he was embarrassedly squirming out of her promiscuous touch. "Speaking of which, I heard that you actually took out a girl with your sexiness. Well _done_!"

"I-I… It wasn't like that…!" he stammered.

"The guys said she had this seriously creepy grin on her face when they found her," Cana continued, a creepy grin of her own spreading across her features. "You could feel the rain from down here. You really got her all hot and steamy, huh?"

The red across Gray's face only deepened, staring back at the doorway, both hoping and fearing that someone would come in and give him an excuse to throw the Boscan girl from his lap. "Ah-ah- she was pretty… uh…"

"You have a thing for the weirdos though, right?" she said, suddenly leaning up to him as she wrapped her arms around him, passing the bandage to herself and making spirals of white around his body. "Or just the giant boobs. Don't think we haven't seen you ogling that blond bombshell."

"Who?" Gray asked, closing his eyes as he felt her once again lean closer to wrap the bandage around his back, feeling parts of her body he was certain he wasn't supposed to. There _must_ have been a better way for her to do this, and he didn't want to see the look of pleasure across her face as she made him squirm.

"The troublemaker," Cana shrugged, finally leaning back and examining her work, running her hands across her new dressing. "Lucy."

Seeing her finally finished, he unceremoniously threw her back onto the bed, narrowly dodging her long legs kicking him in the face as he did so. "She's not a troublemaker," he grumbled.

Cana pouted. "I was _so_ hoping someone would walk in there…" she sighed, kneeling on the bed and looking back at the doorway, tilting her head as she felt _certain_ that there had been a flash of blue there a second ago. The only one she could think that could be that fast and blue was Happy, which in itself would be a hilarious threat to hang over Gray's head later. "And she is completely a troublemaker. Why do you think we're sitting in some tent right now instead of the guild?"

A look of anger flashed across the cold wizard's eyes. "This isn't her fault."

"I never said it was," Cana defended herself quickly, shrugging her shoulders. "Some people just have disaster follow them. Some people have shitty parents or shitty history or shitty little things and habits that they can't help but say or do that makes everything go wrong. Fairy Tail is full of troublemakers. No wonder she's slotted in like a charm. That and I don't think anyone can say no to that chest."

Gray leaned back, not certain if he understood the ramblings of the drunk woman or even if she counted Lucy as a friend or an enemy. There were implications of both, but they went even further to their entire nakama, and as usual Gray couldn't help but wonder if she was trying to send him a message he was too tired to interpret. "She's more than just a pretty face, you know."

"I don't doubt it," Cana grinned. "Besides, anyone that can make Loke freak out like a scared little kitty has got to be worth keeping around, right?"

A small smile appeared on Gray's face, hiding it as he rubbed the new scar on his forehead again. "Loke is acting a little… intense," he admitted.

"Did you hear that's why he ran off, right?" Cana questioned, receiving only a blank look. "Reedus was protecting Lucy but Loke didn't trust him enough. He ran off to make sure that she was alright."

"But that doesn't make sense…" Gray questioned, looking back at Cana and trying to decide if she was withholding information or if some knowledge had simply fallen between the cracks of their broken team. "I thought he hated her?"

"'Hated' is a pretty strong term…" Cana murmured wistfully, putting a finger on her chin as she spoke. "You know that he's got that massive thing against Celestial Wizards. I think he's scared of them."

"Scared?" Gray said, the word falling out before he could stop it. Lucy was more powerful than she gave herself credit and Aquarius was definitely a force to be respected, but he simply couldn't imagine anything about the beautiful blond being scary.

Cana shrugged. "I think he got bit bad by one once. You're probably more likely to get some answers out of him than I am. Do some 'guy talk' or something."

"'Guy talk'…?" Gray raised an eyebrow.

"Ugh, you know what I mean!" she groaned, throwing her arms across her chest stubbornly.

"I… really don't," he said, realising eventually that she either couldn't or wouldn't explain any more than this. "Cana, you and Loke are way closer than we are. After everything that's happened, the two of you have stuck together way better than I have…"

"That's a joke, right?" Cana said, her hands on her hips as she leaned closer. "We have barely spoken except for when we were worried about _you_ ," she accentuated her words by prodding him sharply against his Fairy Tail mark. "We don't take missions together, we usually sit on opposite sides of the guild, every one of us is in a different place and different priorities and different friends."

"So?" he asked, looking serious while his eyes tried to draw on something kinder. "Who cares that we don't do those things anymore?"

"I do!" she said.

He sighed. It was easy to say that she was acting irresponsible and childish when he knew that he'd easily slipped into his new routine and was happier than he'd been in years. Cana had friends and family within the guild but her place was the barfly and that could be incredibly lonely no matter how many friendly faces surrounded her. "So, do something about it," he suggested with a shrug. "If you want a mission, I'm down."

Her eyes widened, crawling closer. "You… really?!"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked. "Once the guild reopens everyone will be after them. Besides, I could do with more money. The last few I've taken I basically got nothing because of Natsu's screw-ups."

"If you needed more money you could sell some of your ridiculous amount of clothing…" she murmured under her breath.

He glared. "Do you want to go on a mission or not?"

"Won't your new team mind that you're playing around?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"New team?" he questioned, not certain that he appreciated the implication that his teammates were almost like a romantic partner that he couldn't be without. Teams weren't uncommon within the guild, but they certainly weren't set in stone even if it was usually quite a curious thing to see them separate.

Cana blinked, trying to decide if Gray was stupid or oblivious. Either way, stupid. "Uh, you know your team…? You, Lucy, Natsu, Erza, Happy…"

"We are _not_ a team," Gray defended, quickly throwing his arms folded across his body as he stubbornly glared. "No way am I in a team with that fire bastard."

Cana laughed, finally pulling herself from the bed and wondering if she was stumbling because of injury, alcohol or – the most terrifying option – she was becoming sober. "I heard some people call you Fairy Tail's Strongest Team. It's pretty cute…" she said wistfully, remembering when they had been so close to gaining that title themselves. Her eyes faded, her body tensing as she did everything in her power not to crumble at the very thought. "Then again, I've heard some people call you Team Natsu."

"WHAT?!"

She grinned widely. It was so perfect that she wished that she was joking. It helped heal her painful nostalgia, watching Gray instantly explode into anger and demand the names of every one of their nakama that had dared to label him as a secondary party to the charismatic Dragon Slayer. He also demanded that she tell him how many had told her it was Team Gray, which again she grinned at and explained that no one had done so. "But, you know, most people just call you Erza's lot. Or the new girl's…" she said, a mocking pat on his back as he despaired and muttered angrily about being invisible.

There was no more mention of the mission, or of their own team, and deep down Cana knew why. Gray may not have been able to say it out loud or even admit it to himself but he knew that he no longer a member of their party. He had a new team but even before that for a long time he had been barely anything more to Cana or Loke than just another familiar face in the guild.

Cana grinned at him, trying to console his wounded pride while trying to enjoy their new relationship with a brave face.

* * *

 **"Phantom Lord was a lot of butt-kicking fun, but you know what comes next?"**  
 **"What does come next...?"**  
 **"I can't even remember."**  
 **"LOKE YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD REMEMBER!"**  
 **"Oh, haha, was it really that soon after? Ahaha... ha... pleasestoplookingatmelikethat..."**  
 **"I still can't believe you didn't tell us you were a celestial spirit."**  
 **"I still can't believe we finally got him to wear a suit."**  
 **"I still can't believe that neither of you have noticed that Juvia is now stalking our conversations..."**  
 **"Juvia won't be any trouble..."**  
 **"Gah! Where the hell did you come from?!"**


	11. The Last Days

**Hey Fairy Tail Fans! Sorry I'm taking so long to reply, but for the first time since I started this, S-Class is now the top of my list of priorities to write again~~**

 **Speaking of 'S-Class', I'm considering renaming this. I just don't think it 100% fits, and in my head I always call it my GLC (Gray, Cana, Loke) story lol Thoughts? Ideas?**

* * *

"Hey Mirajane, have you seen Gray or Cana anywhere?"

The whitehaired barmaid looked back at Loke curiously. She could feel the rosy blush on her cheek and the growing smile on her face at the question. Nothing made her happier than seeing the best of friendships rekindled and she had watched Cana drink away her days for many years now. While she fully enjoyed and encouraged 'Fairy Tail's Strongest Team', she knew that the strongest team of all was the entire guild, and the three wayward wizards together were a promise of a united guild. Unfortunately, she didn't have the answers that Loke needed. "Bisca took Cana back to Fairy Hills about half an hour ago, they're getting ready to go to Margaret Town. Gray and his team are on a job in Balsam Town, but I'm sure they'll be back soon," she told him kindly.

He frowned, his hands deep in his pockets with a far away look in his eyes. "I see," he murmured, trying to count away his remaining time. "Hey, Mirajane? Is that job to catch those two rogue wizard creeps still around?"

Mira blinked, watching the ring mage with innocent eyes as she tried to catch what about him looked so different. "Yes, it is," she confirmed, taking her magical pen and drawing on her notepad. "And that's in Balsam Town too, I see! Are you wanting to take that job?"

He thought for a moment, before letting out a tired sigh. "Sure," he agreed, "What else am I going to do here while I'm waiting? Oh, and Mira? Out of curiosity… How much would it cost to pay off Cana's tab….?"

* * *

"I'm letting my emotions get the better of me…" Loke whispered out loud as he pushed the glasses back up his nose, leaving the celestial wizard behind in the old-fashioned restaurant. He wanted to curse himself for the slip of the tongue, for admitting to the near-stranger that his time was up, but more than that he wanted to laugh at himself; the recovery had been so ridiculous and unbelievable that he couldn't imagine anyone would be foolish enough to have bought it. Especially not Lucy. It didn't matter, though. It didn't have to be believable for long, just enough to keep her back, to keep everyone back until he disappeared into nothing.

Maybe it would be a good thing that someone in the guild suspected he was no longer alive. Perhaps it would ease some pain of him simply disappearing into the night and abandoning his loved ones.

The night was drifting away, hours were slipping through his fingertips. He had already wasted the time he was supposed to have given to Gray on the celestial wizard. Sighing, he admitted to himself he wouldn't have even known what to say anyway. If he had stopped to say goodbye to his closest friend, would it have even made a difference? He had already spent years hiding his true identity, pulling upon the façade of 'Loke' so casually he no longer knew what was really himself or what was his creation of a Fairy Tail mage. He knew he should have been honest from the start, or at the very least turn around now and find the Ice Maker and explain. Instead, something deep inside of him had been instinctively drawn to the tug of Lucy's magical majesty, and he was unable to deny that he was a celestial spirit first and a friend second.

She had been so close to pulling on the truth he had promised to give to Gray that his hands shook at the memory of his awkward confession. Now wasn't the time to be sentimental. He didn't have time to get weepy eyed at every girl that he could feel tug on his emotions, because today there would be an awful lot of them. Every single girl that had ever been a part of his life had to be given their goodbye today. Every member of the guild deserved as much, or even more but… that would be impossible. He was still trying to decide the best way to deal with his nakama. For now, it would just be the girls.

He left no time to waste. Luckily, he didn't sleep much at the best of times, content under the light of the glimmering constellations. Staring up at the stars as he walked through the night, his eyes pinned on his own place in the sky. It was more than home, it was a part of him. He felt as if it should have been ripped from the night sky the moment he was cast out of the celestial realm, but the zodiac remained sparkling as bright as ever. To one side he saw the faithful Virgo, remembering her kind yet masochistic nature. Even he wouldn't touch that level of insanity, respectful to his team member and remembering Aquarius's fierce threats if he were to even look at the maid provocatively. To the other side of his zodiac was Cancer, just as strange and unflinchingly faithful to his masters. Leo had heard that they had both found their way into Lucy's possession and it brought a tortured smile to his face. He knew that she would be caring to them both, but it hurt to feel their presence so close and yet so unobtainable.

Then, somewhere looming on the horizon, Aries would appear, her symbol shining brightly and beautifully against the dark night sky because Leo had protected her. He told himself it was because of his protection that she now had the chance to smile and to have a good master. Good masters were rare but he was certain they existed. It may take an eternity to find one, but at least she had that eternity to keep searching.

These were his true nakama, a bond so powerful and ingrained into him that it made the light of Fairy Tail pale in comparison. It was their entire being, the blood that ran through their veins, the stars that held their memories and essence of life that twisted through each one of them. He was more than their comrade, he was their leader, he was their shining light of hope and he couldn't bear to face them one last time any more than he could say goodbye to Fairy Tail.

He didn't have time to waste staring at the stars and contemplating his mistakes. He reached out and knocked on the first door, staring unflinchingly at the first wide-eyed girl and beginning to tell her that it was over. One by one he went to all the girls' houses. They were used to his night visits, but nothing like this. He offered them no explanations, no tender touch, no last kisses. By the end, it just sounded mechanical, a broken record without the empathy he should have had for them. There were worse things than watching an unfaithful man finally say goodbye.

There was one girl above them all. One girl that would be hard to say goodbye to, one girl who deserved his full attention and probably deserved the truth. And she wasn't at the guild.

* * *

Gray and Natsu had been fighting for most of the morning. At the top of their nonsensical arguments, debating who had won a pillow fight was the fight of choice this morning, though it was still impressive to see just how many injuries that they had managed to inflict upon each other with only stuffed fabric. Then again, Erza had also been fighting, so all things considered they were actually lucky to be alive.

While Lucy's bad mood had undoubtedly put a dampener on the day's playful fight, it was the plethora of girls suddenly entering the guild that had Gray's attention, and not for the reason that the Dragon Slayer was mocking him for. He recognised a few, though their names had never been particularly important, but he had seen them on the arm of one of his closest friend's and that was reason enough to notice the non-wizard's appearance inside the guildhall.

"He broke up with me last night!"

"Oh no fair, me too!"

"Me too!"

Gray tilted his head to the side, drowning away Natsu's continuing laughter with his concerns. The women were all beautiful and there were plenty of them, it didn't make sense for Loke to turn down anyone. It had taken Cana and Gray months to convince Loke to leave dangerous women in the past, so to suddenly have half a dozen seemingly sane and stunning women demanding his whereabouts made Gray wonder if it was also a question he should be asking.

Leaving Natsu to fight some other unsuspecting member of the guild, Gray leaned across the bar to Mirajane once she was finally freed and the women were chasing Lucy out of the hall. "Mira, do you really not know where Loke is?" he asked.

The sweet barmaid always seemed to be honest, but Gray had known her for long enough to know that there was also a very different side to her. She blinked, looking at the Ice Maker blankly. "Oh, didn't you see him in Balsam Town?"

Gray had almost completely forgotten that they had crossed paths of his last mission, if only for a split second. "Yeah, we spotted he was there at the same time we were…" Gray said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Well, that is peculiar. I was certain he'd gone to see you," Mirajane said, a finger on her chin as she looked upwards, lost in thought.

Gray frowned. It didn't make sense that the ring mage would travel so far and take a job of his own just to be in the same town as the Ice Maker, especially not if he had been so easily scared off by Lucy. Lucy must have done _something_ , he surmised, gritting his teeth as he remembered the way that he had defended the blond so defiantly to Cana, feeling strangely protective of his previously closest nakama. "Why the hell wouldn't he say anything then…?" he hissed, his confusing leaving him irritable. "If you don't know where Loke is, do you know where Cana is?" It was a long-shot, but in the olden days it was usually a fairly sure bet that wherever one was the other would be. Now it was only true because both would usually spend their days in the guild, barely even taking a single mission.

"She went to Margaret City on a mission," Mirajane informed him, frowning as she thought of all of the lost revenue, even if the mission profits would no doubt go straight back into the guild's bar. "Some wealthy merchant looking for a fortune telling. Why they didn't just post it at Lamia Scale I-"

"Thanks, Mirajane!" Gray said, jumping out of his seat and making his way to the door.

"No problem!" Mira said happily, completely unoffended as she was suddenly cut off and unsurprised by the bold movement. "She should be back by this evening!"

He kept walking, offering an appreciative wave to the Take Over wizard as he did so. Following the conversation with Cana and the unfolding new mystery, Gray decided it was about time that he made the effort to finally reach out to his old teammates. He could still hear the crowd of girls yelling at the poor celestial wizard, demanding that she explain exactly who she was and why she had stolen their boyfriend. He let out a tired sigh. Lucy was beautiful, but the reaction he had last seen from Loke was anything but affection towards her. It was just one of the many recent reactions that he simple didn't understand from his old teammate. One way or another, he decided that he would get to the bottom of this.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! The next chapter I'm about half way through. It will be much longer, which is part of the reason this one is so short.**


	12. Celestial Searching

Gray rubbed the back of his neck, making his way slowly back to the guildhall. He'd searched for a couple of hours for his friend before once again getting distracted and deciding that perhaps it was best to wait until Cana was back anyway. Once the three were together they could organise something, _anything_ , just to rekindle that old friendship and prove to himself that even if they weren't a part of a team anymore it didn't mean that they weren't still his closest nakama. Fairy Tail would be there for each other regardless. It would be next to no time before another S-Class trial began and if they were all lucky they would be fighting against each other, just as they always dreamed.

His footsteps sped as he saw a familiar jacket. Loke was stepping out of the guildhall, pulling the hood over his head and walking quickly in the opposite direction from the Ice Maker. "Loke!" Gray called, going faster and shouting louder.

If the ring mage heard him, he didn't show it. Gray stopped in front of the guild hall doors, calling his name again but realising that he was speaking only to the wind. He tilted his head curiously, trying to work out how someone who had been searching for him could be so oblivious and beginning to doubt Mirajane's words. It wouldn't be the first time she had judged someone's interactions completely falsely – after all, she still believed whole-heartedly in Fairy Tail's Strongest Team. Regardless, shouting down the street at someone who obviously didn't want to be disturbed seemed pointless, and instead he disappeared into the guildhall.

Two minutes later, the guildhall doors burst wide open again. The Ice Maker ran back out, heart racing and panic in his voice as he shouted "LOKE!" at the top of his voice, sprinting in the direction he had seen his friend disappear.

Gray was cursing himself, cursing the ring wizard, cursing everything around him. Loke had quit the guild. He hadn't said goodbye. He hadn't even turned when Gray had shouted his name. The Ice Maker could feel anger bristling down his spine, his teeth gritted so tightly his head filled with pain. "LOKE!" he called again, wondering the ways he would punish his nakama when he finally got his hands on him.

Amidst the red of anger there was also a colder emotion of terror seeping into his bones and the familiar echo of guilt whispering in his ear. He knew he should have searched harder, he should have reached out sooner, he should have remembered that this was his closest teammate for years and the signs that something were wrong were glaringly obvious. He was still in the dark as to why but all that powered him now was a determination to find him and drag him back to the guildhall that he belonged in.

He stumbled into the cross-roads, breathing heavy with his legs unable to move. He had absolutely no idea what direction Loke could have taken and he found himself cursing stronger. If he had the Dragon Slayer's abilities, he might have been able to track his scent. This only made him feel more useless right now, but it did make him stop and remember Natsu's newest friend. _Lucy_. He remembered the panic in Loke's eyes seeing her, remembered every moment that he had stepped forwards, only for one glance of the celestial wizard to send him reeling back. Lucy had defended herself avidly but there _had_ to be something more she knew, some part of her influence on the promiscuous man that had not escaped her notice. It seemed like a long shot but right now it was all he had.

He steamrolled into Lucy's home, not caring about anything like doors or locks or anything that could keep him back. If Lucy was truly a member of Fairy Tail now, she should be able to feel the sheer panic resonating throughout the guild, blinding every one of them to the damage they could cause. "LUCY! Big trouble!" he shouted, feeling as if every moment talking to her was one potentially wasted looking for his lost friend. "Loke left Fairy Tail!"

The blonde's eyes suddenly went wide, staring back at her new teammate in disbelief. "Wha…?" she breathed, leaning forwards. "But why?!"

Gray gritted his teeth, thankful that she too felt the same urgency and fears and without a doubt that she would do all she could to help. She was already throwing on her boots, her heart beating just as quickly as his. "No one knows, everyone's out looking for him," he said, struggling to get his words out quickly enough. He wanted to say more, that it was his fault and that he should have been looking out for him, that he of all people should have seen the signs that his friend was falling apart. "That guy… he's been acting strange lately…" was all he could say, unable to even acknowledge just how terrified he was.

"Could it be…?" Lucy was on her feet, her wide-eyed innocence suddenly replaced by a lingering idea as she disappeared towards the door.

It took Gray a few moments to realise that Lucy was not just joining the hunt as wildly as the rest of them. "Hey Lucy?" his eyes followed as she dashed out of the room, a purpose to her steps making her unexpectedly quick. "Where are you planning on looking for him? Lucy? LUCY!"

X

Cana lazily stretched into the sky, the warming glow of sunlight resting against her tanned skin and gently turning it a gleaming brown. It wasn't often that she spent time outside, far preferring the warmth of a drink and the fresh air that bubbled from the top of a beer's froth, so when she took it upon herself to explore the great world outside of Fairy Tail she and her body soaked in every last ounce of the experience.

She was in a particularly good mood this evening above everything else. The mission had obviously been a success and the wealthy businessman had been so impressed with his fortune that he had shook her hand and dropped several more jewel into her pocket, promising her that he would use her services again. While she was certain he'd been looking at her cleavage more than her deck of cards, she accepted the money gladly and reminded him Fairy Tail was always happy to help.

It was a good feeling to be back on familiar territory, however. Magnolia was home, the guildhall was once again standing and everything would be just-

"Loke!"

"Loke, where are you?!"

Cana slowed her tracks, listening intently to the sounds of her panicked nakama. Every sensation in her body felt heightened in dread, stepping from the station and into what felt like a Fairy Tail chaos. She could see Team Shadowgear disappear into the far side, hear the Dragon Slayer's booming voice carrying over half of the town, and before she could chase anyone her eyes met with her favourite Ice Maker. She felt her blood running cold even before he began to plague her with questions. "Cana, have you seen Loke?"

She shook her head dumbly, squeezing the strap of her fluffy bag tightly as she glanced around. "What's happened?"

"Loke's quit the guild," Gray hissed, turning away.

"He… what?"

Gray couldn't look her in the eye. He couldn't face the reality of what a failure he'd been as a friend not only to the ring mage, but also to the woman that was standing in front of him. "He just took off. No one knows where he is. He broke up with all his girlfriends last night. I don't even know where to start looking," he said, gritting his teeth tightly and fighting his terror.

Cana's hand quickly slipped into his, surprising her old comrade. Her eyes were still wide and filled with shock, but there was a determination that he had been sorely needing. "I have an idea where we can start."

The Ice Maker's trust was placed entirely in the card mage's, her long legs bounding through the city streets of Magnolia and occasionally squeezing his hand tighter for support. They dashed past houses and buildings both familiar and unknown, receiving the occasional glance from their fellow Fairy Tail mages. Their nakama were hopeful now, and they had no reason not to be. If anyone knew where Loke would be then supposedly it should have come down to his two closest teammates and while they both ran with such purpose they could only assume it meant they had a lead. It wasn't much that Cana had, but one piece to the puzzle that Gray had yet to place.

"C'mon!" Cana hissed, footsteps storming across the ground with heavy clicks of her heels.

"Where are we going?!" Gray shouted back to her, struggling to keep up when he kept making false turns and blind corners.

"Loke's home."

Gray's eyes went wider. He realised in that moment that he had never known where the celestial spirit lived. The three had spent so much time in his own place and been thoroughly banished from Cana's that he'd just assumed there must have been a significant reason. "Loke's…?" he asked, as another thought dawned on him. "Wait, when have _you_ been to Loke's house?!" he asked, more of a prickle of jealousy than he'd expected running down his spine.

Cana's eyes stayed dead ahead, filled with nothing but the determination to rush forwards. "When we were panicking about you getting yourself killed, idiot," she breathed. "He gave me somewhere to stay. Nothing else happens, you can breathe again."

Gray took in a shaking breath, realising that Cana was correct and he had momentarily forgotten how to breathe. He didn't even know why the image bothered him so much, if there was something inside him that missed his friends greatly enough to tremble at the thought of them enjoying company without him, or perhaps the vision of intimacy between the beautiful card mage and the captivating ring mage. Knowing exactly which he would be teased for, he kept his mouth shut.

"No…"

Cana suddenly stopped in her tracks, staring dead ahead. Her hands reached forwards, taking the rusty gate's bars and feeling the red metal crumbling away in her fingertips. Her eyes began to fill with tears she didn't understand, mourning for something that her friend had already told her he didn't much care for. All that remained of the building before her was heavy piles of dirt, debris and ruin. ' _It doesn't seem worth it'_ , he'd told her. She wished that she could explain why those words felt so heavy against her chest right now, or why a tear was running down her cheek.

"This is… _was_ … Loke's home?" Gray asked hesitantly, his eyes pinned more on Cana than the devastation before him. There was very little to see, and he'd seen enough demolished buildings to last a lifetime.

Cana nodded gently, not turning to her companion. "He told me that the place was going to be pulled down because it was unsafe. Loke, what have you done…?" she breathed, unable to shake the feeling of dread.

Gray's head was swimming. Everything had been set up for a perfect escape for the ring mage, but why anyone would want to leave the caring arms of Fairy Tail he just couldn't comprehend. Even if their friendship hadn't been as strong as it had been for years, Gray had absolutely no doubt that Loke loved his guild just as much as the next Fairy Tail wizard. They had fought together for years, through thick or thin, peace and danger. Gray's eyes grew wider. "Cana, you said that when I went to Galuna Island, you still had the danger card?" he asked quickly.

Cana paused for a moment. "That's… that's right!" she whispered, cursing herself for not instantly falling on her beloved cards. The danger cards were securely by her side but it terrified her to look at them for too long. The wizards fell into danger far too often and if she spent every day obsessing over them she was certain no alcohol in the world would cure the pain in her head. "Right," she said, picking out the few select cards and twisting her fingers through them until she found Loke's. "I… what?"

"What is it?" Gray asked, looking over Cana's shoulder and glancing at the blank card she carried. "Where is it?"

"This is it!" she said, confident in her card magic but finding her knowledge conflicting. The card was a circle of brilliant white, Loke's name written in black script against a golden background. Other than that, there was nothing else on the card. The familiar chibi figure of a tiny Loke waving his arms in distress or sleeping peacefully had completely vanished.

"I don't…" Gray's eyes widened. "Does that mean he's…?"

Cana shook her head feverishly quickly. "No," she insisted, not daring to hear the terrifying prospect Gray was insinuating. "Even if the worst had happened, his image would still be on the card. This must mean he's out of range…"

"How far do you need to go to be out of range?" Gray raised an eyebrow.

"Um… Bosco? Seven? Maybe even the boarder of Iceberg?"

Gray took a stumbling step backwards. "E-even magically teleporting you couldn't get that far so quickly!" he whispered.

"It doesn't make sense," Cana agreed, staring at the card. As if by sheer willpower alone, however, suddenly the white began to swirl. The tiny figure began to return, two huge hazel eyes looking up at her from the card. Her heart skipped a beat. "He's back!"

"I am."

Gray and Cana both jumped back at the sudden voice, stumbling into each other. Where before there had been only empty air, there was a golden light washing over their skin, the image of their friend appearing before their eyes. It seemed unlike any teleportation that either had seen, slower and much more gentle, a strange warmth to the light that emitted. "Loke!" Cana gasped, her body trembling.

"What the hell have you been playing at, huh?!" Gray bounded forwards, grabbing the wizard by his jacket and glaring. "The whole guild is out looking for you!"

"Aha… Please… I'm still very weak, and I expect Lucy will be requiring my attention for some time…" he excused himself quickly, trying to avoid the Ice Maker's wrath as he held his arms up in defence.

"You got everyone in the guild freaked out because you wanted to spend time with your new girl?!" Cana demanded, pulling up her sleeves ready for a fight.

Loke's eyes grew wider, but his shock was quickly replaced by a small, tired smile. He could feel every muscle inside of him aching even after his brief recovery: The celestial realm was slow compared to this world and he had had only minutes to catch his breath since nearly disappearing into nothingness. "I don't think you quite understand. Lucy… Lucy saved my life…" he admitted. "If not for her, I wouldn't be standing here."

Gray dropped him. Cana took a small step back, instantly regretting her angry words.

Loke could only watch their surprise, sighing as he pushed back his glasses. He knew the horror that he had already inflicted upon them, knew the terror that his words were causing and that things were not so easily solved by kind words. To him, he had been saved by a beautiful angel. To his friends, his life had been broken apart, ripped from the people and the guild he loved. "I'm afraid I don't have long. As I say, I am still very weak and I need to return to the celestial realm soon."

"Celestial… realm?" Gray questioned, his words barely a whisper.

Cana frowned, folding her arms across her chest. "What's happened? Are you in danger?"

Loke shook his head patiently, realising that these words were the most difficult for his two closest friends. He had not even informed Lucy that he would be making this special trip. Though he was certain that she would not have minded his farewells to the fellow nakama he just had not had the time to explain. Nor did he have the energy to explain that he still possessed magic enough to control his own door, a power which drained every moment he gladly spent on their well-deserved explanations. "I'm afraid that I have not been wholly honest with you two, or to anyone in Fairy Tail," he said, the words feeling as if they were finally lifting from his chest. "My name, my real name, is Leo the Lion. I am the zodiac celestial spirit leader."

The two Fairy Tail wizards took a step backwards, eyes wide and gasps on their lips. "What…?" Cana breathed.

"Celestial Spirit…? Zodiac? You mean-you mean you're like that Aquarius and Taurus guy?!" Gray twitched, his skin growing paler just at the memory of the terrifying mermaid and the creepy minotaur.

Loke smirked. "Yes, exactly like them," he said. If Lucy had not been so skilful as a celestial wizard to possess several zodiac keys already, this conversation would have been much harder for the two old teammates to understand. Luck had been very much on their side, though every moment he took to revel in this fact made him weaker. He had already spent three long years from the celestial realm with only seconds to recover, wincing now as he held his body. "I expect that Lucy will go into some detail soon, but I wanted to come and speak to you both first and explain things properly. I'm afraid after this, my time in the guild will be quite limited."

"Lucy…?" Cana questioned.

"Lucy is your master," Gray realised, nodding.

"WHAT?!" Cana took a half-step back, the disbelief making her head ache. "Lucy is your master? You mean that you have to do everything that she says?!"

Loke nodded. "She is yes, and I do, yes," he said, smiling as he thought about all of the wonderful things that he very much wanted her to ask him. He was more than happy to oblige to his new master's whims when he had the most beautiful of masters.

"Hold up!" Cana pushed out her finger to the air, interrupting the celestial spirit mid-thought. "If you're going to work for Lucy, then we definitely need to set some ground rules."

Even Gray seemed to look at the card mage in surprise, but Leo was calmly curious. "Cana, it doesn't work that way. Lucy is my master now."

"You do not mention Team Pervert," she said, her eyes stern and keeping on his sharply. "You do not even hint to how close we were. You do not mention our names unless specifically asked, and you absolutely cannot give away any of our dirty secrets, Loke."

He tilted back his head slightly, fiddling with the sides of his glasses. Trust Cana to have her own priorities, though from the way her body shook he could tell she had even greater concerns. "That seems a fair request," he admitted. "I will not disobey Lucy at any cost, but I see no more reason to mention you than I would mention any previous clients or masters."

"We're not your clients or your masters, Loke, we're your friends!" Gray reminded him, an anger flooding into him as he tried to understand just what was happening to one of his closest nakama. He was afraid, Loke seemed severely weakened and the way that he was speaking made him sound like he was saying some kind of final goodbye.

The lion's smile turned sad, staring back at his old comrade. This may be hardest for Gray, knowing that he would see him for flickering moments of battles if he continued to keep Lucy by his side. "I've already told you, my name is Leo. Loke does not exist…"

"You'll always be Loke to us!" Cana stepped forwards, feeling the same energy and the same wavelength through her comrade's passion. She didn't even have to turn to Gray, knew that both of their eyes were pinned on Loke with the exact same message written across their hearts.

"You're a Fairy Tail wizard, Loke," Gray assured him, his arms firmly across his chest and a confident smile across his face. "You won't stop being a Fairy Tail wizard because Lucy is your master now. To us, you will always be Loke."

Loke couldn't catch his breath, remembering exactly why he had come to speak to these two particular members of Fairy Tail above any other. He was certain that any one of the guild would have given the same heart-filled sentiments and no doubt they would have meant every word, but the look in Cana and Gray's eyes reminded him that whether he was human, celestial spirit or something in between, his heart was still within his chest. Loke's eyes filled with tears. They were more than just drinking companions, more than any nakama that he'd had in his guild. But he could feel more than the ache of their kind words. "I… I need to go…" he stuttered.

"We know," Gray said softly, his eyes filled with forgiveness as he looked back to his old friend. "We'll see you soon, Loke."

"Don't be a stranger!" Cana waved, her own beaming grin back to the celestial spirit as he gently faded away.

* * *

 **Many thanks to Zunifex for the idea of the home crumbling just as Loke is about to 'die'.**

 **Please remember to review if you enjoy what you see :) Thanks for reading!**


	13. The Good Old Days

It had been another exhausting day, in the best of ways. What was supposed to be a relaxing vacation fully paid for by the celestial spirit turned into a whirlwind of emotions and Gray had been more than thankful to see the guild doors standing proud when he returned. The halls looked stronger and more lively than ever after its newest renovations, and more than this the guild was flooded with the life and excitement and the playful fighting that brought everything together. He smiled to himself thinking about it. Despite having seen more hardship in the last couple of months than he had for years he couldn't deny that he felt happier in himself. He felt better every time he walked through the guild doors, felt excited every time that he had a mission and even when he opened the door of his own house he knew he could sleep easy. It felt as if a burden had been lifted from his chest and he knew that so much of this was down to the people he cared for, the warming glow from his nakama and his newest team. Yes, even Natsu. After all, he had been the one to save him from throwing himself into the eternal Iced Shell – the idiot occasionally deserved some credit.

Gray opened the door to his home and stepped inside, careful in the darkness that he would not trip over himself. Switching the light lacrima on, however, he found himself staring at his bed and the figure casually upon it.

"Ice me," she said, holding out a beer.

Gray's calm smile turned into wide eyed surprise. He had already seen the card mage drink more than her weight in alcohol this evening, laughing and enjoying the reunion of the guild's boisterous attitude. He seemed to even remember throwing a loose punch in her direction, though the inter-guild scuffle had been so long and excitable that he couldn't quite remember all the details. Regardless, he was surprised to see her here, sitting on his bed like she owned the place, a bottle in her hand and asking him the same playful request of years ago.

He stepped forwards slowly and put his own hand around her bottle. "It's empty," he realised with a frown, feeling the weight of the glass and nothing more.

Cana laughed and tried to tip the very last drop into her mouth. "You took too long," she growled with a grin before throwing the bottle behind her and out of the window.

He noticeably winced as the sound of breaking glass was heard from the street below, hoping that no one was going to come slamming on his door later to rant about the thoughtless vandalism. "Cana… what are you doing in my house?" he asked instead.

There wasn't an exact reason, not one that Cana could say. She pulled her leg closer to her body, wrapping her arms around it as she grinned lazily upon her favourite Ice Maker. "Do I need a reason to be in your house?"

The question surprised Gray a little. He walked slowly forwards, taking the seat on his bed beside her and thinking of her question. They had never needed an excuse to be in his house. They had never bothered to supply one, other than their need for cold beers and a place away from prying eyes, so there was no real reason why it should be any different now. Somehow, Cana always knew when to show up, when he most needed the company, when he most needed the drink. Loke, too. He was never entirely sure who was in charge of their invasions but while he was certain they spent no more time as partners than they did as a three, somehow they always arrived at the same place at the same time. It just worked. But that was a long time ago.

Gray had promised himself just before Loke disappeared into the celestial world that he would reach out to the people he cared about, that he would go out of his way to rekindle whatever was lost with Cana and Loke. Things would be harder now with Loke in another world, there was no doubt about it, but it was not impossible. "I'm surprised you didn't just stay in the guild," he thought out loud, piercing through the comfortable silence as he leaned back. "The place looks amazing."

"Doesn't it?!" Cana grinned wildly, looking at Gray with pride. "Did you enjoy my tour?"

"I did," he nodded with a smile. "You've really been pulling out all the stops while we've been gone, haven't you? The pool, the shop, the second floor, the outfits…"

"Oh, the _outfits…"_ Cana purred.

"And the guild board looks busy," he said, making no effort to hide the same grin that was written across Cana's face now on his own, even if he swiftly moved the conversation on. It was pointless to hide even the slightest hint to a perverted nature in front of the card mage, and he knew that it strangely made her feel more comfortable around him. "I guess that while we were re-building there must have been quite a backlog of missions."

"Oh yeah, that's part of it," Cana said, tapping her chin with her golden key. "But our reputation is growing every day. Phantom Lord might have blown the building to pieces, but after everyone gathered together and made the guild bigger and better the Fairy Tail name is now stronger than ever."

Gray wasn't listening to her anymore. His eyes were wide, looking at her hand and the familiar glitter of unnatural metal resting upon her fingertips. She held the golden celestial key as if holding a pen, not even paying attention as the jagged edges playfully dug against her skin. "Cana… tell me that isn't what I think it is…"

Cana just grinned. "Do you think she'll notice?"

"YES, I THINK SHE'LL FUCKING NOTICE!" Gray shouted. He could feel his heart racing in his chest. He didn't even care what hour it was or how much his neighbours would complain, certain that they had heard worse living beside a Fairy Tail wizard. His eyes just pinned on the key in the card mage's hand, their third companion's connection to their world ripped away from his new master after just a few days, but Cana was just looking proud of herself. "Cana, we have to… you have to give that back right now!" he said, remembering how lost and scared Lucy had been before when losing her keys. They weren't just objects or weapons, they were a part of her, her very closest friends.

But in Cana's hands rested _her_ very closest friend. She spread out her palm, the red symbol staring up at her around the regal golden pattern. She pouted but didn't move, her eyes locked onto the celestial key. "I just wanted it to be like old times," she said. "I thought that if we could find a way of opening the key then we could just…" she sighed. "Can't we hand it back in the morning? I'm pretty sure your stalker is outside anyway, we wouldn't want to give her any ideas if we left together…"

"Stalker…?" Gray blinked.

Cana shook her head. Gray could be oblivious at times. "There's no point in waking up Lucy, we'll just give it to her in the morning - say that she dropped it or something! Now help me summon him."

"Cana…" Gray's hands wrapped around hers and wrapped the key tightly in the palms of her hands. His eyes were on hers, filled with sympathy and seriousness. "Loke is still recovering. We need to give him time."

Cana met his gaze, a little surprised. She had spent the hours alone at the guild wondering what the boys had been running off to, what kind of adventures and stories their new team could gather. Sometimes her imagination would be a comfort, thinking of her nakama laughing and getting along with one another, while other times it would hurt so much she thought even alcohol could not dull her pain. Not once did she consider that Loke had not yet emerged from his golden prison. She glanced down, looking at the hands that clasped hers and the warmth of the key inside. It was a horrific reminder of how close their friend had come to dying. Not only would he be dead but he would have simply disappeared, leaving a hole in their hearts with no answers to comfort them. "I still… I still don't understand it," she breathed. "I still don't know what happened to him or why he couldn't go home. Or why he didn't tell us that he was a spirit. I don't know why he was hurt and why he hasn't come back yet."

Gray looked down too, his own eyes fading. He was certain Lucy knew, or knew more than they did, but he didn't know if that brought him comfort or pain. The three friends had secrets which had been running cracks through their partnership for years and he was nothing more than a hypocrite to expect any less of Loke. "I don't either…" he admitted, swallowing hard, realising how much it hurt. His friend had been on the brink of death and he never even knew the mortality he had fought every day in their guild.

"Cana… did I ever tell you about Isvan?"

Cana blinked. "Isvan…?" she whispered. His home. She remembered hearing the same words from him when he came out of Galuna Island, followed by a brief description of a war that had changed him. Even Cana could see now how much his S-Class mission had shaped the man in front of her now. She shook her head obediently, wondering where this could be leading and why after all this time he would mention it.

Gray wasn't entirely certain. He put a hand on his forehead, feeling the scar beneath and thinking back to his long-lost brother, the battles and the heartache that he had been through. He too would have disappeared into the unknown if not saved by another member of Fairy Tail's Strongest Team. He needed to explain, to rip away more of the scars that were finally beginning to heal. He needed Cana to hear him and to actually realise who the man that she had spent years drinking and laughing beside was. Somehow, he knew that Loke could also hear. He hoped that someday they might return the favour and give him a glimpse into their own dark centres.

* * *

By the time Gray had finished talking the sun was starting to appear on the horizon. Cana hadn't spoken a word. She had listened patiently to every heartbreak, from the terrifying moments of his childhood to the battle against his fellow student in Galuna Island, to the loss of his master and watching her melt into the ocean. She had kept her mouth shut at the guilt he insisted he bore, and even when she felt her heart stop at the mention of him casting Iced Shell she obediently let him speak. Once he finally begun he needed no instruction, no prompting or comfort, his words pouring out of his soul in front of his two best friends as they should have years ago.

When he finished, the room submerged into silence.

Cana leaned forwards, her movements gentle. She could barely breathe. She could barely think. Her instincts moved her closer. Silently, she wrapped her arms around the Ice Maker. She pushed her forehead against his shoulder, as if able to soak in every moment of his trauma and pain and take it into her own skin, gripping his bare skin tightly. She could feel her own tears falling against his skin, shuddering as his arms tightened around her in return and his entire body curled against hers. It felt strange, knowing that he was trying to comfort her. She should have been the one to lend her strength and to tell him that she had his back, but right now she felt cradled in his arms and couldn't deny that she felt weaker than he did.

"You're still Gray…" she whispered. "To us, you'll always be Gray."

The words meant the world to him and she knew it. She knew why those same words were spoken to Loke. She pulled on his body tighter, feeling the action repeated back to her, uncaring if her nails dug in or his strong arms squeezed too tightly. For years every one of them had been an enigma to one another and after so much time paired with such closeness it was understandable to feel a terror once finally revealing the insides of their hardened shells. Every one of them knew that there was darkness inside all three of them, that there were twisted corners of their hearts that held them back.

Only Cana remained whole, broken only on the inside.

She loosened her grip, taking some time to pry herself out of his hold as she looked up at him with a wide grin across her face. "I'd offer you a drink if I had one."

Gray blinked at her with red eyes, feeling as if he was slowly waking up from a long and painful dream. He glanced back to the window, seeing the bleeding sunrise over the horizon. "Cana its morning…" he said, his words halting.

"So?" she said, pushing herself further back as she stretched all the icky 'feelings' out of her muscles. "It's a perfect morning for drinking, isn't it?" she said, jumping up and taking one of his arms, trying to drag him back to his feet.

Gray was exhausted. He had spent days between the Tower of Heaven from one fight to the next, and the entire night had emotionally drained him. Somehow Cana had the energy to bound back to her feet at the prospect of alcohol but he didn't feel it. If anything, watching her just made new emotional wounds open. Cana couldn't deal with her conflict without a bottle in her hand. Fairy Tail may have laughed and joked and accepted her reliance on alcohol, but to those that were closest to her it was still a painful sting. Not a day went by that he didn't want Cana to save herself. "No, Cana, no morning is perfect for alcohol…" he said slowly, rubbing the knots out of his brow. "Besides, the master said that they have that reporter in the morning and… apparently I'm babysitting the new starter…"

"J-Juvia?" Cana asked, a blush across her cheeks. "You are lucky… I mean, she's a psycho, but that _is_ your type, isn't it?" She just let out a low whistle.

Gray raised an eyebrow, pulling himself off the bed and feeling every one of his joints complaining. He had been sitting still for far too long, but he was not oblivious to the blush across Cana's cheeks. It wasn't her usual drunken glow but it seemed somewhat similar. He gave a small knowing smile. "Do you want me to introduce her to you…?" he suggested playfully.

"Ah, nothing like that!" Cana laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. "I'm sure I'll meet her. I mean, we already met. She's in Fairy Hills," she rambled, adding in a very small voice " _Thank you, communal baths_ …"

Gray grinned, pretending that he hadn't heard just how deep Cana's perverted nature rang. For someone who was so forward sometimes she could be adorable all the same. "Well, if you need anything let me know. But don't you have somewhere to go first?"

She looked at him blankly.

He stared her down. "The key."

"Oh!" she laughed, picking the golden key back from the bed where they had been sitting. "Aha, yeah, I almost forgot! Haha…. Ha… Can'tIjustkeepitalittle-"

"Cana," he growled at her.

She pouted again. " _Fine_ ," she grumbled, pulling her boots back on quickly. "Lucy gets all the best fucking nakama," she continued under her breath, fiddling with the string across her boots as she wrapped it tight around her fingers.

Her head was suddenly tilted upwards. She was forced to look into the Ice Maker's eyes as his hand rested underneath her chin, her heart suddenly stopping in her chest. He was close, far closer than she'd ever seen him come to her, his huge dark eyes inescapable. "Cana, there is no one in this guild that brings us together like you do," he told her.

"Gray-"

" _No one._ " He kept his eyes trained on hers, a frown across his face. His hand didn't leave the soft contours of her chin, rising it up every time he felt her gaze would fall. "The guild loves you as much as you love the guild. There is not a soul in Fairy Tail that would hesitate to join by your side. There was no one better to take on Phantom Lord than you, no one who stood for as long or fought as hard. Sometimes it can be hard to fight for _everyone_. It can be harder than fighting for the few friends that you care for more than anyone. But you do it. Because who else can sit beside any other member of this guild and offer a drink?" He smiled. "Fairy Tail is close but… but I've never seen anyone sit beside Lightening Legion and Team Shadowgear and Fairy Tail's 'Strongest Team'-"

"-Team Natsu-"

He frowned, choosing to ignore her 'correction'. "and the Strauss siblings and Macao's 'team' and whoever else you can find - all in one night. You can be jealous of Lucy all you like-"

"Pfft, I'm not _jealous_ ," she rolled her eyes, trying to look away but finding his eyes were once again inescapable.

"But I know Lucy is jealous of how much the guild loves you. That won't change, not ever," he assured, meaning every word before his voice became lower and closer to a rawer emotion. "And it wouldn't change if you stopped drinking," he promised her, _desperately_ wishing that she could hear the concern in his words.

She finally stayed quiet. She knew what he was doing and what he was trying to do but she had heard it a thousand times. It was one of the kindest ways of trying to lift her spirits and break her chains, but Cana had leaned on alcohol for years and that wasn't going to change because of a few pretty words from a pretty man. She leaned over and slipped past him, a sparkling light in her eyes all the same as she let his compliments wash over her. "And every day I look forward to seeing who will be my newest victim," she grinned, sliding past him and making her way to the door.

He sighed, feeling as if she had not listened to a word he said. "Cana…"

"Maybe Freed. That boy is deeper in the closet than I am. It's pretty darn adorable," she hummed to herself, throwing her bag over her shoulder and putting her hand on the door handle. "And maybe Juvia. She seems nice. In a psycho-stalker-but-steaming-hot-so-it-doesn't-matter kind of way."

"And Lucy?"

She hesitated, and glanced back to Gray. "Yeah, Lucy too. After all, I owe her a key," she said, twisting it over her fingers before opening the door and walking out. This time she would not savour the wonderful pastime of listening to the guild gossip whenever she crept out of one of her friend's houses the morning after. This time she would respect her closest nakama and take the side routes, letting the guild whisper of her drunken disappearances without inflicting suspicion on the Ice Maker. He'd been through enough.

* * *

 **So this chapter took a bit of an unexpected turn. I'm not even sure what happened here - I'm just gonna run with it!**

 **In case anyone is wondering 'wait, why does Cana seem to dislike Lucy so much?' - she really doesn't. She loves Lucy (especially her boobs), she just occasionally gets bitter 'off-camera'. This is really the moment where she decides to reach out to her more and will eventually lead to her being her partner :)**

 **Next stop - EDOLAS (Lets see everyone's reaction when it turns out Lisanna isn't dead! :o)**

 **Oh and a quick shout-out for Grimnack who always reviews but I'm not sure if you read replies so thanks :) And thank you to everyone who reviews, I really appreciate it!**


	14. The Storm

"The weather sure won't let up…"

"Juvia-san doesn't think it has anything to do with her!"

"No one said it was…."

"Hey Cana, make sure that you leave some of your "boyfriend" to serve the rest of the guild, will you?"

"Why would she go out to the church on a day like this?"

"It's almost the anniversary of Lisanna's death"

"Mira and Elfman's younger sister. She died in an accident during a job 2 years ago."

"That reminds me…. you remind me a little of Lisanna, you know"

Gray passed a glance back to Cana as she held her keg tightly, only half paying attention as he instructed the rain woman on how to eat the messy meal. Lucy had been in Fairy Tail for about five months now and it seemed that not only was Cana warm enough to the celestial wizard to speak to her, she also could give her the compliment. Lisanna had been a woman filled with such kindness and joy that for Cana to say that Lucy reminded her of her was nothing short of heart-warming. Gone was the jealousy and bitterness from the drunk, but then today of all days deserved no such emotions. Two days' time would be the day Fairy Tail remembered as the anniversary of the day Lisanna died, but for Gray, Cana and Loke today was the anniversary of day that they almost changed a terrible fate.

Things had changed a lot over the last few years. There were a few faces that had not been in the guild those years before, some of which that Gray had the pleasure of calling his closest friends. Many of the older members had become even more familiar and become the close team he could not imagine being without. It had been a long and difficult journey but even looking at Cana now he could see that there had been healing. Mirajane and Elfman had been able to hold back any tears until they reached the grave and in the last few months both had been learned to use the powers they'd feared for so long. The guild laughed and cheered like it had done years ago. It was amazing the power that time held even over grief.

Natsu just slept.

Gray let out a yelp of surprise as he felt something tugging the back of his shirt hard. The familiar cold edge of Erza's gauntlets scraped the back of his neck, her terrifying power looming over him as she dragged him back out of his chair and away from the rain woman. "We have something to discuss," she said, her voice allowing no hint of questioning or refusal.

Even the shelter outside of the guild seemed just as wet and horrible as the pouring rain itself. The air was filled with such thick moisture that it seeped into every piece of wood and Erza's heavy boots sunk into the patio platform. As she finally dropped Gray to the ground, his entire outfit was left soaking even as he quickly stood, brushing himself down and attempting to regain his wounded pride. It was the kind of blatant disrespect she would use on him when he had been a meddling child, or acting like a meddling child, but as far as Gray was aware he'd done nothing wrong for some time. Natsu's slumber had made that easy.

That meant there had to be something wrong. He bit back his anger with one glance towards the requip wizard, watching her stare into the fierce storm silently. She hadn't started beating him yet, which in some ways was a good sign and in others was worrying all the same. He walked over, aware he would somehow be walking into a trap but fearing what would happen otherwise. "What are we, uh, discussing?" he dared to ask.

"I know something happened two years ago," she said suddenly, turning around as her fierce gaze met his.

He took a stumbling step back. In the last two years Erza had never once brought up the conversation of Lisanna and Gray had told no one of their fateful fortune telling. No matter how much time had passed it was still a difficult and sensitive topic and he could feel his heart racing at just the reminder. "What… what are you talking about…?" he feigned ignorance poorly.

Erza turned back away, her powerful gaze breaking as she admitted her flaws. "I don't know exactly what it was, but I realise now that something happened to you two years ago when Lisanna passed away. You can keep it a secret, if you must-" Gray gave a sigh of relief "-but you will _not_ avoid Natsu again this year."

Erza's words carried a heavy silence with them, the battering rain bouncing off the roof above them somehow making their stillness more severe. Gray's sigh of relief had left a horrible taste in the back of his throat. 'Trust me, I do my best to avoid him every other day of the year too…' Gray thought, not daring speak out loud. There was nothing more the Ice Maker could say to defend himself, knowing that to play this off would only invoke the S-Class wizard's fury or even worse, her disappointment. He couldn't bring himself to look at her, remembering the truth. When Lisanna died he didn't come to Natsu. While Natsu was grieving Gray did all he could to avoid even being in his presence as he became overcome by the crippling guilt. The following year when the anniversary loomed Natsu once again grew quieter and Gray ran. He would not be in the same room as Natsu, would not look at him and would not even let an opportunity arise for their familiar fist fights to resume. This year they were closer than ever, against all odds they'd even been in the same team for six months, and Gray's absence would be more than noted.

"He needs us, especially when he won't admit it," Erza said eventually into the looming darkness and the cracking lightning above them. "This is hard on Natsu and Happy both. This is your team now, Gray," she said, turning back around and looking almost pleadingly into his eyes.

His mouth hung open silently. Erza's head tilted to the side, not quite expecting his reaction to be so intense. Her own mouth opened to question whether he was actually listening to her when it became obvious he was not. He wasn't looking at the redhead at all, eyes pinned to the skyline behind her and the crackling lightning. She was ready to scold him when she heard another crackling boom of the storm rising above them. Finally, she turned, following the Ice Maker's line of sight and seeing for the first time the swirling clouds growing around them. "What is that?!" she gasped, her eyes growing wider as she stared into the growing anima.

Gray took a daring step forward, by the requip wizard's side as he stared into the foreign magic above. He held his arms over his face but it did nothing to protect him from the hurtling rain. Already he could feel something tugging against him, latching onto their magical energy and dragging upward. "A hurricane?!" he questioned.

"That's not like any hurricane I've ever seen!" Erza said quickly, requipping into her familiar and comfortable armour as she was vaguely aware that Gray's shirt had been removed. "We need to warn-" her words were suddenly sucked up, gripping her sword tightly as she felt the unnatural glow inside of her. Neither could scream or move, the strange glow overcoming their senses and soaking away every part of them.

In an instant, Magnolia had disappeared from the face of Earthland.

* * *

 **Sorry for the short chapter but I have amazing news!**

 **S-Class is now my most followed story! Thank you Perverts! I can't believe how many of you that there are! Thank you for all your ongoing feedback and reviews and messages, I love all of them (reviews especially).**

 **I'm currently in the middle of writing a story which takes place in the same world as this one and is actually based on what happens here, so hopefully that'll be posted soon too!**


	15. Earthland

**This whole chapter is set in Manga Chapter 200, if you were curious :) I should probably reference the chapter I'm writing more...**

* * *

The guild watched in amazement as the white-haired woman returned two years after her death. As Lisanna Strauss entered the home she once loved, was instantly plagued with questions, demands of where she had been and tear-filled reunions. When she finally had a chance to speak she explained all about her time in Edolas, the life that she had lived for the last few years and the alternative guild that she had joined and learned to love as her home. Her real home had always been in the Fairy Tail of Earthland, she claimed quickly, as she received a loud cheer and shouts of more alcohol to go around.

As the Fairy Tail mages rushed to the bar and Mirajane did all she could to avoid being dragged back into work, Cana pulled away from the crowds. She did not want to share her 'boyfriend'. She pulled her keg closer to her body, growling every time anyone tried to get closer and locking her legs around the barrel.

"The version of you over there… pfft! I can't even… Just thinking about it…!" Gray was beside her, doing a terrible job of trying to hide his laughter.

"Just spit it out already!" Cana yelled back at him, grabbing the barrel and pulling it back from him in case he was trying to manipulate her into sharing. "You're making my drink taste bad!"

This only made him laugh more, holding onto his side as he remembered the pretty young woman from Edolas casually sipping her tea. The Earthland Cana continued to yell at him, the violent image making his laughter harder until he eventually spit out description of the sober wizard.

"Ugh, that makes me feel sick…" Cana groaned, pulling a face as she looked down at her drink and decided the best way forward was to drown the image out of her mind. Defiantly she lifted the keg once again, letting the warming liquid fill her with comfort.

"I'm sure that you would look just as beautiful sober as you do right now," Loke's smooth voice carried over the bar as he leaned closer, pushing back his glasses.

The drunk continued to swallow every last drop of her drink, taking her time as the alcohol gliding down her throat. As the last drop emptied, she quickly tossed the empty barrel straight to the stomach of the celestial spirit, a surprising strength in her swing which caught him off-guard. "You know for someone who's not supposed to _be here_ , you seem to poof into the guild a lot!" she exclaimed before throwing him a sly grin. "Not that I would complain."

He smiled, pushing the empty barrel over the side of the bar and gesturing to the one free barmaid to get Cana another drink, preferably a smaller one. "This is a celebration," he said simply. "I'm still a member of Fairy Tail, after all. If I can't enjoy a day like today back in our guild, when can I?"

"It's good to see you again," Gray grinned back at his friend, a little more eager than the Card mage. The three being together, even if only for a brief instance, was more than a coincidence during the return of the Take Over wizard. It was clear that the memory was etched into each of their minds as they stayed close together, grasping onto one small piece of kinship that was lost during the years since the fateful S-Class mission. "Who would have thought it," Gray remarked under his breath as he leaned back against the bar and out of the corner of his eye watched the young girl introducing herself to the newer members of the guild. "I guess that even Cana's fortune telling can be wrong."

Cana had barely taken the new drink to her lips before she spat it out. "Ex _cuse_ me?!"

Even Loke seemed to be gesturing back at Gray with a serious look and quickly shaking his head from behind the angered Card Mage. Gray was digging his own grave and anyone close could see plainly the bristling anger from the drunk and surprisingly scary woman. The Ice Maker did not heed the warning, however. "The cards were wrong. They said she'd died-"

"They did not say she's _died_ ," Cana said indignity, quickly defending both her art and her precious cards just as feverishly as Lucy would have defended every one of her keys. Her fists tightened, ready to dive into yet another fight just as Loke tactfully refilled the drink in her hands. She looked down at it, knowing that spilling the sweet nectar was almost a worse crime than Gray's blasphemy against her magical craft – but only just. "That's not what the death card means. You just assumed." She took a quick glug of her drink. The quicker she could down it, the quicker she could throw the empty tankard against his head.

Gray's eyes grew wider as he tried to comprehend the words she said. It felt as if he'd been living a lie for the last two years. "What do you mean that's not what that card means?!" he demanded of her, in complete disbelief that she'd let him live with this guilt for years and had only chosen _now_ to correct them. "What _does_ it mean?!"

She rolled her eyes, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "It means the end of a chapter," she said, not even trying to conceal the patronising tone to her words. "Re-birth and all that shit. Sure, _dying_ technically falls under that, but it's more like… a significantly change." She lifted the drink again but did not sip straight away, her eyes pinned to Lisanna from over the top of the tankard. Her attention was slipping away from the anger to her closest comrade and back to the curious case of the missing Take Over wizard, as she considered yet again the real meaning behind her fortune. "The cards don't lie; it's a bad change, or at least a difficult one. Just doesn't say whether it's bad for us or her. Everyone is celebrating and shit but no one's asking the question."

Loke looked down at her curiously. "What question is that?"

"Did she even want to come back?"

Loke and Gray looked back at Cana. They were speechless, both at the insinuation and from who had dared to say it out loud. The three of them, like almost everyone else in the guild, had prayed for days upon end that Lisanna would suddenly show up at the doors with wide smiles and a happy heart, saying she was merely on a long vacation and now she had returned. Cana had wished this more than most as the guilt had buried deep inside of her, the secret causing it to fester painfully. Now the impossible had become a reality, Cana's question hung uncomfortably in the air.

Gray's fists tightened, his jaw clenching. Her accusations stung him more than he could have estimated, remembering the look on his nakama's face when she very first reunited with Earthland. He had been one of the first to see her and hear her tale. She had called out to him and Erza excitedly as soon as she found their true identity and he had seen the way she had pounced on Natsu and her beloved exceed; he had no doubt that she was glad to be home. "That isn't fair…" he said, his hand shaking and keeping his voice low even against the busy hall. "You know that Lisanna loves Mira and Elfman, she wouldn't-"

"She loved the other Mira and Elfman too, right?" Cana asked, her eyes squaring against Gray and searching for the chinks in his conviction. "She didn't try to come home to us. Who's to say she doesn't still love that Fairy Tail?"

"Of course she will," Loke said, his voice dark and somehow commanding. "You don't forget the family you left behind just because you can't be with them anymore. I should know."

Something in the tone of his voice made Cana turn her head and truly listen. He wasn't speaking out of observation but from something he knew well, an experience that seemed raw through his voice. Tilting her head as she looked at him, the card mage tried to see through his shaded glasses that now reflected the light of the guild back to her. "You're talking about the guild?" she said, trying to empathise but falling short. "You've not left anything behind, you're standing right here."

He pushed the glasses back, the glimmer of determination now visible beneath them. "I'm talking about my other family, Cana," he said, realising that this was a conversation that she would want no part of any more than hearing Lisanna talk of her alternative world. There was a small part of him offended by her ignorance, however, needing her to know that Lisanna's struggles would in some ways be similar to his own. "Fairy Tail will always be my guild and my family, but my loyalty is first and foremost to the celestial realm and the zodiac. It is, and always will be, my home."

Now it was Gray's turn to warn Cana to quickly bite back her words, knowing that she could so easily make one false step and insult not only Loke but an entire world. She had a dangerously deadpan look towards Loke, completely unimpressed by his words. "You put them before our guild?" she asked, her voice low and flat.

He did not hesitate to give his small and charming smile, meeting her gaze unflinchingly. "I am bound by my contract. Luckily I could not have asked for a more beautiful and loyal Fairy Tail member as a master."

Cana continued her stare, not quite sure what 'beautiful' had to do with any part of his argument. Regardless, she certainly wasn't impressed with his answer. "So, what? You get a key and suddenly you have no free will?"

"I wouldn't say that…" Loke said with a light frown, glancing over to Lucy who was trying to console a tearful Juvia and stop her from once again flooding the guildhall. She still hadn't noticed his presence, or at the very least pretended not to. "My point is that for three years I was unable to go home to the celestial realm. I understand how difficult it must have been for Lisanna. We were both lucky enough to find two wonderful guilds and wonderful people to make the time easier, but there really is no substitute for home," he said, pushing back his glasses and looking almost apologetically back to Cana. "That's not to say that I don't consider myself a member of Fairy Tail: If you get very lucky, you can make more than one home."

Cana looked down, the celebrations around her seeming sour as she bit back her arguments. To accuse Lisanna of no longer having any love for her guild because she'd fallen in love with Edolas was to say that Loke could not remain loyal to both Fairy Tail and the Zodiac team at once. She could see the joy in Lisanna's eyes as she looked around the guild, see the happiness in all their nakama, and knew that it didn't matter whether Lisanna had tried to come home or even if she'd wanted to stay in the old Fairy Tail. She was one of them and no matter what she love in Fairy Tail, just as Fairy Tail would love her in return.

"What'd you say, bastard?!"

"I'll kill you!"

"If you're a man…!"

Cana and Loke both turned, seeing the sudden eruption of fists and fury as yet another guild fight began before their eyes. Loke's eyes pinned on Gray, looking between the battle and where the Ice Maker had just been standing only seconds before. "When did… how…?" he mumbled, once again marvelling at Gray's unnatural ability to somehow always be pulled into a fight with his rival regardless of where he was or what he was doing.

Cana just grinned, however, taking a step forwards and finding Bickslow and Nab had also moved beside her. "Been a while since the last ruckus!" she said, already spinning around her arm ready to strike down her first Fairy Tail wizard. It had been too long since their last fight, too long since they'd all been able to bond together and be the guild that she adored, but like always they were ready to step up to the challenge. Cana was more than prepared to prove exactly why she had been nominated for the S-Class trials for four years in a row. Soon would be the fifth.

* * *

 **I'm feeling like I'm having withdrawal symptoms from posting. I'm working on something really exciting though!**

 **This comes from my house mate. When I talked about this chapter and wondered what GLC's reactions to Lisanna coming back she said to me that it always irritated her that everyone seems so instantly happy Lisanna is back when Lisanna was so willing to give up on them for Edolas. I thought it was an interesting idea to explore anyway!**


	16. Old Promises

_**Yes, I know, its been forever. Please don't murder me! Just a huge thank you to likes and faves and comments, I'm always blown away by how many of you enjoy this even weeks after my last chapter was posted so THANK YOU, it does really give me inspiration!**_

* * *

There was no time to stop. There was no time to do anything but work.

The Ice Maker rushed down the busy streets, giving quick apologies to the citizens that he bumped into. The majority of Magnolia was used to the Fairy Tail mages acting boisterous, particularly at this time of year, but that didn't stop some of them from shaking their fists in his general direction or shouting obscenities. He did his best to avoid them all, truly he did, but he was on a tight deadline and this year was _the_ year. He was certain of it. He could feel it in his magical core, in his soul, in his entire being. This was the year and he could not accept failure.

As he started to reach the outskirts of the city, the streets became less cluttered and he began to move faster. Because of this, he decided to take a few more risks, jumping down from ledges instead of taking stairs and as the last stretch came into sight he called upon his magic to help. With a confident smirk, he twisted his fingers as best he could while still clutching the streams of white paper, the blue and white sparkles spitting from his fingertips and coating the ground in a thin sheet of ice. He ran and jumped and skidded his way forwards, the world around him disappearing in a blur.

This year was the year, he told himself with grinning confidence. The only thing standing in his way just happened to now be _physically_ standing in his way.

Gray's eyes grew wide. There was something in the middle of the path. Not something, some _one_. Standing before him was a smartly clothed man, casually pushing back his tinted glasses and seemingly oblivious to the Ice Maker hurtling towards him.

With one fluid motion, Gray panicked. His hands twisted around into a new shape, the thin sheet of ice rising from the ground and curving around wildly. He didn't have time to direct it as he changed the path to around the obstacle, only to reach a new obstacle.

He had only time to yelp as he hit the wall.

Loke raised an eyebrow in curious amusement as he watched the Ice Maker crunch against the solid wall. The air scattered with chips of ice and a flurry of white papers from Gray's hand. Slowly, Loke reached over and offered a hand over to his old friend with an affectionate smile. "In a rush?" he asked all too innocently.

Gray murmured something in pain as he pushed against the solid wall. He was fairly certain that the Gray-shaped imprint would be there for years to come. He blinked into realisation as his eyes drifted towards the hand and upwards to the light-haired man and his silently mocking, yet caring, smile. Then the rage hit. Gray jumped to his feet, ignoring the painful throbbing from his head as he stared back at the spirit. "What the hell do you think you're doing poofing out of nowhere?!" he accused him. "You can't just-"

Gray caught himself mid-sentence. He blinked. His eyes scanned over Loke, taking in just who this was. Finally, he could see that slightly smug smirk and the casual silence from the spirit as he waited for the younger man to absorb his very presence. "You-wait, where's Lucy?"

Loke placed the unused offer of his hand back to his side. "Not here. I am more than capable of summoning myself, you know," he said simply, eyes moving from the Ice Maker to the papers that he'd scattered. He reached down and took a couple of them, glancing over it as the smile spread further across his face. "Saving cats in trees? Repairing broken fountains? Is it really that time of year again already?"

Gray growled as he snatched it back from him, trying to pull away the others before he could be judged any further. "Yes – and I'm sorry but I don't have time right now."

Loke nodded knowingly, reaching over and picking up one last hidden flyer one for him and holding it out to his friend. "I have no doubt this year will be our year."guess

Gray went to grab the last mission request, just as he had every one before, but his hand stayed frozen over Loke's. He stared at him, replaying the few words over and over in his head and wondering if he had been jumping to false conclusions. "Our?"

The questioning look was only met by a small glimmer in the eyes of the spirit. "Don't tell me you've forgotten our agreement?"

He hadn't. He had spent so much of the time rushing around trying to decide what would happen if he would finally be awarded this chance to compete and silently cursing against the now absent celestial spirit. He'd truly wanted nothing less than to have Loke by his side, but he'd long since come to terms with the fact that that would not be physically possible while he had his contract with Lucy. The other options all seemed desperate. "You would still want to be my partner?" he questioned him, still dubious and wanting all clarification before he let his heart be raised. "What about Lucy?"

He pushed back his glasses, a flickering confidence showing beneath. "Lucy is strong, but she doubts herself too much to be chosen for the S-Class Nominations this year. Next year, perhaps," he observed casually. "Besides which, I'm still a Fairy Tail mage. Nothing there has changed, as long as you're still willing to take me as your partne-"

"Yes!" Gray said quickly. He quickly coughed, an embarrassed blush on his face as he realised his outburst. "I'd… appreciate having you by my side," he corrected himself, looking to one side.

Loke knew better than to laugh, as he knew better than to think too much at the sudden reaction. "I'm glad to hear it."

The Ice Maker swallowed as he took a step forward, quickly trying to recover his cool composure. As always, even as his hopes had been raised his eyes were flickering with 'what if's and the possibilities of failure. "That's assuming this is the year, of course. And if Cana doesn't grab you first?"

The smile across Loke's face was filled with all kinds of secret knowledge. "I have a feeling that Cana has already found her partner."

"Oh?"

The glasses sparkled as pushed up the bridge of the spirit's nose. "Let's just say the last time I saw her she was in the bath with my key holder."

"C-Cana? And Lucy?! In the…..?" Loke simply nodded at Gray's stutters, a small smile in his face. "You're seriously telling me you walked away from that?!"

"Hey!" Loke frowned suddenly. "Just because I appreciate them doesn't mean I don't have respect," he defended himself, folding his arms across his chest. "Besides which, I think of Cana as a sister."

"…. I really hope you don't a sister…."

Loke raised a curious eyebrow, not entirely certain he followed.

Gray just wasn't going to explain. He shook his head, stuffing the leaflets into his pockets now quietly comfortable that he would be taking the small break. At least now he was no longer going to be wasting time looking for a partner. "So, Cana and Lucy, huh? I though that Cana hated her."

"You really don't understand women, do you?" he responded, wondering if he could hear the distant scuffle of a badly hidden rain woman.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The spirit shook his head gently. "I don't think there's a drop of hatred between either of them. Cana can be a little jealous, but only because she cares for us," he said, gesturing between the two of them. "But she cares for this S-Class ranking just as much. Maybe more. Lucy is a good choice, she'll do well."

"Even without you?" The ice maker's voice gravelled. "I don't get it. You've wanted Cana to get in this whole time. Why do you want to be with me when you can work with Cana and make her even stronger?"

"Or I can work with you to ensure she wins."

Silence. Gray didn't move for a few seconds. Both stern men kept each other's eyes, the slow pace of their willpower until one would finally break.

"I'm not losing on purpose," Gray said eventually, his words slow and offering no hint of questioning.

There was a quick sharp shake from Loke. "I wouldn't expect you to. After all, I'd prefer if Cana did not have reason to murder you," he smirked. "But that doesn't mean that we can't ensure that the winner is either you _or_ her."

"She'll never agree to that."

"Which is why I'm not asking her."

Gray paused. It was certainly an option. One that even Cana wouldn't have the change to object to, not if they were careful. It wasn't a good idea in any sense of the word to be an actual 'team' besides their temporary partnerships, but there was no harm in showing favour to certain pairs while purposefully slowing down others. He understood now why he and Loke together were the perfect pair for that. Gray considered this in his sombre silence, already picturing the hopeful nominations and their possible alliances. "At least we know almost every other partnership is going to be giving Cana an easy ride. Except-"

"Except your best friend," Loke supplied.

" _Natsu,"_ he hissed. He wasn't sure if the spirit's choice of words was supposed to be sarcastic or genuine. Right now, after years of being the closest of rivals and only a few short weeks of fighting by the fire dragon slayer's side, he wasn't sure which was more true. "I won't lose to him. No matter what."

"He'll play to win," Loke shrugged as he took a few small steps forward, offering his hand for Gray to shake. "And so will we, for the most part. If we are going to lose there is only one person in the guild I will gratefully accept that loss to."

"I'd rather lose to _anyone_ than flame-brain," Gray grumbled under his breath with a short roll of his eyes. And glanced down at the hand being extended to him. The rules were simple; someone in his old team would win the S-Class challenge, and whoever that happened to be would do so with luck, fate and skill. He gave a small smirk as he finally took Loke's hand, shaking it firmly as their partnership was agreed. "I guess I can agree to those terms: May the best Pervert win, right?" he grinned.

* * *

 **C: "Gray, that is not what we were doing in that bath and you know it."  
** **G: "What? I-Uh, I didn't say anything! I'm not - I have no idea what you're-I-He-!"  
L "Aw, he's blushing!"  
C "And they call me a pervert."  
G: "I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!"**


	17. Beyond the Gate

Loke sat alone on the edge of the universe, staring out at the canvas of endless starry skies and the black oceans of his celestial world. There was no place like home. He'd wished for years to be in this place, feeling like this was it, but as he stared out into the void he couldn't lie to himself. Home may not have been in a world that was slowly killing him, but it didn't mean that it was here either.

The celestial realm was vastly different from Earthland. There was no hot or cold in this world, not like there was below. The air seemed to have a distinct taste as he breathed magic and stardust instead of foliage and sunlight. As he sat on a platform of sparkling lilacs and soft blues, looking up into a purple sky, he couldn't help but feel the colours were distorted despite having known this place far, far longer. The sounds right now, however, were oddly similar. He could hear laughter and loud talking from behind him, merriment exchanged between the spirits of all shapes and sizes. It was all fake of course. While their fate hung on the edge of a knife, drinks would be shared and smiles would be plastered on faces. It was a fragile compromise, and one that the lion had already broken.

"I can't believe I got into a fight with a talking clock…" Loke groaned to himself, running his hands through his hair. His fingernails dug deep into his scalp, feeling the real pain to combat the distant reminder that something was so very wrong. A fight in Fairy Tail wouldn't have been anything but a normal day, even between those he knew the least, but this world just wasn't like that. He'd stepped out of line.

The sudden round of laughter pounded in his ears. It was hard to shake the noise when it was the only sound between his ears, an oddly deafening silence since… since…

At least everything was going back to normal inside. No one had spent too long worrying over the impulsive Fairy Tail spirit when there was already too much to worry over. They all disappeared into their own lives and own thoughts. As Loke lifted his head up and watched the stars above him, he wondered if there was anyone listening to what he had to say. "I should apologise. He doesn't deserve it… He always takes care of Lucy. Gets her out in the nick of time; that's his… his _thing_. So why not this time…?"

The others may have been able to talk and laugh and pass the time with distractions, but he couldn't escape that question. _Why was this time so very different?_

It had been seven days in the celestial realm, to which Loke could only guess it had been about seven _months_ in the real world. There was still no word. They still couldn't feel the location of their magical keys, and they had only heard worse and worse news the more time passed. The legendary island of Tenrou had vanished. Other celestial spirits with other masters had seen from their trips to Earthland that many of the guilds had teamed up to try and find the missing Fairy Tail members. So far no one had been successful, even when standing in the exact spot where the training grounds had once been. It was as if it had just ceased to exist.

But it couldn't have. Lucy was alive, he could feel Lucy was definitely alive! Or, at least, he couldn't feel that she was dead. His contract with her was still binding, even if he had no way of honouring it. He had to believe that one day they would have their answers, he would be able to reappear in Earthland and see the sun and a light blue sky. He would be able to greet his friends and flirt with human girls, especially one human girl. He couldn't even entertain the thought that she wasn't going to come back.

He just couldn't lose another celestial master. Not so soon. Not one as precious to him as Lucy.

The endless silence and the feeling of invisible chains wrapped around his celestial gate filled him with dread. Although the hole that Capricorn had blasted through his chest had fully mended, he felt as if he could still feel the void inside. "I've always been the one to protect Lucy - _I_ should have been there. If I'd just stayed… Three years on Earthland and I couldn't even manage three days…"

"Pu-puun!"

Loke turned, suddenly realising that he had a lone listener. A small round creature with an equally round head tilted to the side.

The lion blinked. It's shiny black eyes were almost impossible to read, probably because there was very little thought behind them. Nikora were all too common in this world, almost to the point of being pests, but he hadn't expected for one to appear in front of him in a place like this. "What are you doing here?" he asked it. "If you're looking for your friends, go inside. There's bound to be others in there."

It didn't move away. It just tilted his head to the side. It appeared almost as if was listening, waiting for him to say more.

Loke stared in disbelief at the tiny spirit. He had wondered if he'd have an audience somewhere in the stars, but hadn't expected it to be a pet. A Nikora listening to him? Loke had to laugh. "Of all the spirits… The big cat talking to the little dog…" he chuckled, his laughter forced through as he leaned back, watching as the curious creature continued to shiver uncontrollably, never once taking its small black eyes away from him. "I'm sure Cana would have got a kick out of that one…"

And just like that he'd managed to give himself another punch to the stomach. _Cana_. Was she… alive? The last time he'd seen her was on Tenrou, with Lucy, with his key, with the keys of so many of his friends and comrades…

He pulled one leg closer to his chest, continuing to let the second one dangle from the edge of the platform. "I should have stayed with them," he muttered to himself, resting his chin against his knee.

The Nikora tilted his head to the side.

"Don't look at me like that," Loke droned, pointedly refusing to look at the tiny shivering spirit. "I know that there's nothing I could have done. I know that I tried to come back, but I should have tried _harder_. I promised Lucy. They aren't just my team, or my master. This is… different."

His eyes watered. He refused to let the tears fall but he was just so tired, so emotionally drained from the days of worrying over his nakama on both sides of the gates. The fate of Lucy's spirits was undecided. If their keys ended up in the bottom of the ocean they could never again be given to a celestial wizard. The true power of the zodiac could be lost rusting in a watery grave. It was little wonder why the celestial world was alive with speculation. Everyone wondered on the fate of Lucy, with mixtures of suspicion and hope throughout the realm, but there were so many who worried about their own fate. And Loke was supposed to be their leader. He was the shining light of the zodiac's hope.

But he had so much more running through his mind. He was a celestial spirit, he was indebted to his master, he was the leader of the Zodiac but beneath it all he was also a member of Fairy Tail. He knew that Lucy was alive from his contract - his friends…?

He hoped they were alive. No, it was something that went beyond hope. They must have been - if Lucy was alive then surely, they also would be! There was no way that Lucy would have let them suffer without her. There was no way that they would have left Lucy alone. The entire island was gone, but whatever their fate was it must have been shared.

He held onto his leg tighter, the muscles up and down his arms tensing. There was what he knew, what he guessed and what he felt, and none of them seemed to line up with one another.

"I was supposed to be Gray's partner," he said, his voice low as he tilted his head downwards, shadow covering his misty eyes. "We were supposed to work together, to protect each other, and we made a pledge to protect Cana. We were supposed to stop anything that stood in her way. S-class or not…"

He took in a shaking breath. There was so much happening all at once. The Grimoire Heart's attack, the fight against Capricorn and becoming possessed by Zoldeo, the Magic Council, and then there was the strange growing darkness…

He closed his eyes tightly, baring his grit teeth. "If they're hurt I'll never forgive myself…"

"Pu-puuun."

He felt the tiny paw against his leg so suddenly it made him jump. The shock shook a tear out of his eye, running down his cheek undeterred, but he paid it no mind. The Nikora was looking at him, listening. Waiting.

It was only then he recognised the tiny creature. Not just any Nikora… Lucy's Nikora.

Slowly, Loke nodded in understanding, a sad smile spreading over his face. He reached over and put his hand on Plue's head gently, realising now it had been no coincidence that the small spirit had come to him. Maybe he wasn't quite so simple as he seemed. Or maybe it was more of a simple need than Loke could believe.

"I'm… sure they won't be long. It's… Fairy Tail," he tried to comfort, lifting his own spirits slowly but gently as he spoke.

Fairy Tail. It meant so much to him, so much to Lucy, and so much to Plue. It was a safe haven in a dying world. It was friends that he didn't think he would have been capable of having. It was nakama. It was watching Cana drink herself to oblivion to throw back one of those amazing bright smiles and tell him that he'd taken his time. It was seeing Gray disappearing with the friends that he'd always sworn he'd hate, catching the secret smiles when he thought no one was looking. It was home. And the great thing about it was the fact that no matter what happened, it would always make it through, stronger than ever.

The tiny Nikora gave what almost sounded like a barking purr as he jumped up. Loke almost jumped back from him, not having expected for him to literally bound into his lap and snuggle against his chest. He smiled, putting his arms around Plue the same way he'd watched Lucy do so many times. She shouldn't have summoned two spirits at once, Loke had warned her a thousand times. He saw the bags under her eyes and the drops to her smiles, but he also saw the way that her eyes glazed with happiness having her friends around.

The same way that he would push himself harder and harder for just one more day with his friends. To smile through as he sat in Gray's living room and passed Cana yet another drink. Fairy Tail was filled with survivors, those that pushed themselves too far, just to see one more smile.

"It's already been seven months, Plue. How much longer can they be?"

* * *

 **I am alive! _Somewhat..._**

 **New chapter of S-Class! I was originally going to write the _very last chapter of S-Class_ but realised fairly quickly I needed this 'bridge'. Slightly different from the normal stuff we've seen but I hope you enjoyed it all the same.**


	18. Family Is Just A Word

**Yes I'm still alive! Yes I'm still writing! No this isn't the final chapter as I'd promised, that comes next time! (It is written, just needs to be edited and possibly more work on the ending!)**

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It was only when the Christina search party explained what had happened that Gray began to understand the fleeting looks, the long and uncomfortable staring, the arms around his shoulders from the people that he had least expected them from. He had heard their shouts left, right and centre, screaming that they had found yet another and comparing the young wizards to the friends they had lost. Something in their voices was even more unfamiliar than their aged looks, strained with sudden hope as if it was an unfamiliar emotion that they didn't quite remember how to express anymore.

They had been frozen in the Tenrou bubble for seven long years and woken to see the world had shifted before their eyes. Only time would tell how much it had changed, but if the people that had come to rescue them were anything to go by it would be nearly unrecognisable.

If Fairy Tail felt any fears, as always, they hid it well. The guild and their saviours stood on the front bow of Christina, facing forwards and eager to go face to the future. For most of the journey, Gray had spent his time alongside them. Staring into the distant horizon, he couldn't imagine what was in store for them, no one could. He could hear stories being passed back and forward of impossibilities he could have never dreamed of: Dragons, dark wizards with incomparable strength, weddings and children, losing the guildhall… Both sides seemed just as unbelievable as each other.

Amidst the tales of unimaginable things, Gildarts was proudly talking about his newfound daughter to anyone willing to hear when he suddenly realised the object of his adoration was nowhere to be seen. "She can't have gone far!" he exclaimed offhandedly before he continuing, but Gray's curiosity and concern was more than enough to find the card mage.

It didn't take long to walk the length of the sky vessel in search for his friend. As far from the front bow as possible, he found her leaning against the railings and staring back at the dot that had been Tenrou Island.

"I've been through five S-Class trials… and I've never had anything like this."

Gray didn't have to look to know the expression on Cana's face. It was just as he felt; grim, exhausted and confused. There was too much to process all in one go. Every time that someone told him yet another change, it felt like another to add to the ever-growing pile he would just not believe until he saw it. "I should hope not," he returned to her lightly, walking forward and leaning over the rails beside her to stare at the very same spot. "You'd be pretty old by now if you went through that five times."

"You mean _you'd_ be pretty old by now, you know, being the one on the outside for so many of them…" Cana corrected him.

He grunted a small response that was supposed to be an agreement.

He felt her elbow nudging into his gently, aware of the warming smile on her face as she looked at him. "You ok?" she asked.

While Gray hadn't expected the question, he wasn't exactly surprised by it either. He was supposed to be looking after her, but the expression on his face must have been worse than he'd hoped. The Ice Maker was used to life altering events, the terrible and the grand, and he knew better than to give into the emotions of denial and resolve. He assumed that he was only feeling what would hit the rest of the guild in the coming days. "Just… processing, I guess," he admitted with a shrug.

"I know what you mean. It feels like a dream and... I'm still expecting to wake up…" Cana said with a slow nod. "We've been frozen for seven years, the guild has been ruined, Macao is the fucking guildmaster now and… a-a dragon? I mean… I didn't even think dragons were real! Oh, don't give me that look," she said, giving him a sideward glance. She said the words even before she'd looked at him, more than aware what his sudden silence meant. "Everyone in the guild _hoped_ that Natsu was telling the truth, but honestly? Raised by a dragon?"

Gray's mouth hung open soundlessly.

Cana just shrugged, realising it wasn't worth fighting over. "But this wasn't even just a dragon. This was so much more. Gildarts said that it was the one that tore him apart. _Gildarts_. And… We had every one of our guild's strongest and bravest in one place. I can't believe that all of us together still couldn't do a damn thing…" she muttered bitterly under her breath, gripping the railing suddenly tighter.

She was trembling while trying to appear so brave: Typical Cana, he thought. Typical Fairy Tail. They had all stood together on that beach, held one another's hands and stood defiantly against the dark dragon but in truth they had all been terrified. It was that kind of terror that was absolute and hopeless, to the state that there was no point in even being afraid. The kind of terror that did not end just because they had been saved. It wasn't exactly the first time that he'd faced death with his head held high, but that didn't make it any easier, not for any of them. He studied Cana in much the same way he realised she had studied him at first, returning her gentle nudge back to her. "Are _you_ OK?" he asked gently.

She hesitated, just for a second. In a way, this made him feel more comfortable, that at least she understood how important this was. Nothing about their lives would be the same from this moment forwards, and though she was not the sort to assume that the world was made of sunshine and rainbows, she was putting on her very best Fairy Tail smile as she turned around, pushing her back to the open water. "I'm actually doing pretty well," she replied.

He gave her a sceptical look before eventually deciding that he believed her. She certainly had reason to be. "I can see why. Congratulations on finding your dad," he said with a slow nod.

"Dad…" she shivered, both from delight and from an unfamiliar emotion she couldn't rightly place in a smile yet. "That sounds so fucking weird. Just don't, ok?"

"Don't what? Isn't it a good thing?"

She nodded, throwing a small glance backwards. "It is a good thing. But you're wrong. I didn't find him, I didn't really change anything. I always knew that he was my old man, the only difference is that now he knows it too," she said with a small shrug.

He nodded slowly, trying to once again decide if he believed her or not, but it was hard to judge if she even believed herself. "You're really think nothing will change from that?" he asked her, carefully pressing every word.

"I guess we'll just have to see…" she said slowly, as if she was carefully measuring every one of her words towards the orphan. "I thought that this was what I wanted for so long, you know? The entire reason I joined Fairy Tail when my mum passed away was hoping that I'd find him and be able to tell him… But that was easier said than done. In the end, I just told myself that I wasn't going to tell him until I became S-Class."

"That's why you wanted to become S-Class so much…"

"I wanted to be strong enough to be his daughter. He just was… insanely powerful. He never looked twice at me. Every time that he came to the guild he seemed to miss me - he'd talk to you and Natsu and all the other kids and never once in my direction. Why would he? I was just some awkward little skinny kid… I wasn't great at anything. I didn't think he'd care until I could prove myself…" she said, folding her arms over her chest.

Gray watched her for a few seconds. And shook his head. "You're an idiot."

"Wha-what?" Cana gasped, staring at him in disbelief.

He leaned further over the railings, his jaw squaring. He would usually reserve that tone for someone who particularly irritated him, usually Natsu, but now it felt necessarily patronising. "Gildarts paid attention to me because he was the one that introduced me to the guild," he explained, his voice level and detached. "He was a friend of Ur's. When I was first moved from Isvan to Magnolia, we travelled together for a bit. I think that a part of him wanted to make sure I was safe, for her. That was why he spoke to me. As for Natsu… you know what he's like. There isn't a person in Fairy Tail that isn't drawn to him, for one reason or another. Gildarts didn't exactly have a lot of time when he came, but he always made a point to ask about you."

Cana's eyes widened slightly. "He… did?"

Gray nodded. "Every time. I remember, because it was strange that you were never around when he asked. And he always asked _me_ , which irritated me as a kid too…" he said with a sideways glance. The same way Gildarts would always ask Natsu about Lisanna. He seemed to always get a good kick out of that.

"But you know what Gildarts is like for women," he continued thoughtfully, "He's worse than Loke for trying his luck with them, and worse than the master for staring. But unlike either of them, I've never seen him hit on you."

"I should hope not!" Cana quickly scoffed.

"But why? He didn't know you were his daughter so there was no reason for him _not_ to treat you like any other woman. But then I realised, you weren't the only one, either. I haven't seen him act that way to Erza or Mirajane, even though he's strong enough to take them on. The others, like Lisanna and Levi, I could maybe argue were always too young, but I don't think that's the real reason. I think you're really lucky, Cana. I think he's a good dad, because he's already been a really good member of the family to all of us."

Cana smiled, but chuckled under her breath. "Like the crazy uncle who only shows up for holidays?"

"The one who's a terrible influence and sneaks drink into all the kid's parties," Gray grinned.

"Oh god, I remember when he gave you and Natsu that bottle of whiskey. How old were you, twelve?" Cana rolled her eyes.

"Younger, definitely. It was before Happy, at least," Gray chuckled affectionately. "Luckily, most of it ended up spilled instead of drank, thank Maker, but that was definitely the first and _worst_ hangover I've ever had to deal with."

"The master was so mad at you when he saw you two. Does he even know how you got it?"

"Who knows? I wouldn't be surprised if he knew it was Gildarts from the start, but I don't think he said anything if he did. I think he just wanted to teach us a lesson…" Gray said.

"Psh, what kind of lesson was that? 'Don't drink unless it comes into my profits'?" Cana scoffed, jumping up to balance herself sitting on the railings.

"'Don't sneak alcohol into my bar' I think was the main message…" Gray agreed with a low hum. "I remember we genuinely thought at Gildarts was trying to murder us next time he gave us a bottle."

"He gave you another one?!" Cana asked, leaning in to hear more.

"About two years later, next time he came around. One each, since he seemed to think we were 'old enough to handle it' by then. Natsu looked at it like he was going to throw up. I probably didn't look much better."

Cana laughed, almost toppling backwards back into the water and only holding herself up by hooking her high heels between the railings. "Oh, don't worry. One of these days I'll teach you how to hold your alcohol."

"I was a kid!" Gray defended himself. "What kind of crazy asshole gives a bottle of whiskey to two preteens anyway?!"

"My dad, apparently," Cana grinned to herself, sounding surprisingly proud. It was one of those strange moments where she felt like she would have probably done something incredibly similar, as if she understood that somewhere hidden deep down there could be biological links.

Gray watched her, watched the awkwardness that was covering something that felt softer and more peaceful than she seemed willing to admit to herself. He couldn't help but worry that she was still holing back, still trying to protect herself. "This is a really good thing, you realise this don't you?"

She didn't, that much was clear, not in the way that she knew that Gray meant. He saw a gift and she saw a new chapter, one that wouldn't just be filled with happy thoughts but also with more than a few twists and turns along the way. And even though she'd completed what she thought would be the scariest moment of her entire life, it was far from over. "Right," she swallowed.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?"

Cana and Gray were suddenly pulled out of their thoughts, realising that they had an audience. Lucy was the one who had spoken, standing in her bikini with a wide and hopeful smile back to two of her closest friends. Gray shouldn't have been surprised that Juvia was also watching him intently, and he could only pray that meant she would keep her attention from Cana. How Cana had managed to escape her jealous rages so far was anyone's guess. "Just catching up," Gray quickly told them, refusing to tempt fate. "What's up?"

"Hibiki says we should see Magnolia any second," Lucy explained.

"Juvia would love to see the guild with Gray-sama! It will be soooo romantic!"

Cana and Gray threw each other a glance, sharing the sudden swelling in their chest. _Home_. Even if they were around their closest nakama already, they couldn't deny that it would be more than a welcome sight no matter what shape it was in. "Now that's an offer I can't refuse!" Cana said, jumping from the railings and wrapping her arms around both busty women. A huge grin spread over her face as she saw the flush over Lucy's cheeks and Juvia's awkward stammering that was 'not what she'd meant'.

The girls were dragged away to the front of the ship, watching eagerly for the promise of land. Gray, also unable to refuse, followed more slowly, slipping back into his position between Elfman and Natsu and giving them both a small smile that showed he was just as excited as they were. There was a nervous energy that floated from one wizard to the next, like a static electricity that was waiting for a single touch the spark the pain, but no one mentioned it. No one said a word, in fact, staring into the open water and watching as the very tip of their loved guild fell back into sight.

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 **Thanks for reading the penultimate chapter of S-Class! Remember I eat reviews, they feed me, I will starve without them, om nom nom nom! Thank you and much love!**


	19. Catching Up On Lost Time

On the surface, the Fairy Tail S-Class nominees and champions appeared to have been taking the sudden time skip rather well, even if the most basic developments had had to be explained to them over and over again. In reality, however, it would take a long time for them to fully digest exactly what it all meant. They had come home to see greying hair, worn lines across faces, wizened looks in their friends' eyes and children appearing out of nowhere. Those were the kind of difficulties that struck them, the ones that they could feel and see and touch, but the ones that they would discover over time would be progressively more daunting.

Some had been lucky enough to have their homes in places far away enough to be safe, while others had hidden coincidences that lent a hand. Unfortunately, however, most of the guild member's items, lodgings and money had been lost in the chaos. Erza broke down into tears when they told her that the pieces of armour which was too cumbersome to keep within her requips had been sold to raise funds for the failing guild. Juvia's tears joined hers when they said they gotten rid of the Gray-collection, although they did not go into much detail of exactly why they removed it, or where it now was. But the most pressing of issues was that now almost half of the guild was facing homelessness. Fairy Hills was no more. The girls that had been stashed away in the bubble of time were reduced to begging and pleading amongst the other women for temporary lodging.

Despite all this, Cana seemed surprisingly calm. If anything, she was excited.

Her hand gripped onto Gray's tightly as she dragged him down the strange roads. She did not blink as she saw yet more signs that their beloved city had changed seemingly overnight. A bakery exchanged for a bookshop, a shy couple that had married and gained children, dark alleyways filled with stalls and light and life. The city had done well for itself, and Gray wanted to see more, but Cana's tugging was persistent and surprisingly strong.

"Where are we going?" he asked yet again, not expecting a better answer than the last few times he'd questioned.

"I told you, I know somewhere we can stay!" she replied as before, skipping across the cobbles and heading towards flatter roads and larger buildings.

Gray knew Cana well enough to believe in her, but he also knew her too well to trust her entirely. He watched cautiously as the smooth roads became more unfamiliar. Having only been down this side of Magnolia once, he knew well enough it wasn't the sort of place that the drunk lady would stumble upon by accident, nor anyone in Fairy Tail for that matter. The buildings were old, expensive and incredibly fragile; not fitting for any of his nakama.

Besides, the only one that had gone out of their way to offer Gray a lodging so far was Lyon. Luckily, he had been more than understanding when Gray expressed his need to be with his guild.

Cana's footsteps skipped to a halt as she reached her goal. Staring into a large estate, she let go of Gray's hand to grasp onto the huge metal bars. It appeared just as large and magnificent as the rest of them, heavy red brickwork standing proud against the bleeding sun, surrounded by a wide and beautifully maintained garden. To many, this would be the vision of heaven. If nothing else, it was certainly a vision of wealth, just like every other building they had passed so far. Somehow, there was something different about this house, but whatever it was it would be almost impossible to see through the heavy barriers and long driveway.

Undeterred, Cana hoisted herself over the ten-foot gates.

"U-uh, Cana…" Gray watched her with disbelief as she managed to scale the huge defences while in ridiculous heels.

"C'mon," she grinned back at him, offering a hand from above.

He looked from her hand back to the estate that they were entering. He imagined people who lived in such beautiful and elegant homes like this would have plenty of money for guards, automatic locks and all kind of anti-magical protections, and he didn't exactly feel like having to explain why he was breaking in…

But he also couldn't say no to Cana's smile, that challenging grin across her face that warned him he would never live it down if he didn't take her hand.

"Are you sure this is what you're expecting?" he whispered as they hit the floor on the other side with a soft thud, looking around for the first signs of danger. From the inside, it looked even more grand, far more so than the Ice Maker was used to or expected he ever would be used to. He recognised the location, but it must have exchanged hands to look the way it did now. "It's been seven years. How do you even know who lives here anymore?"

"Well, if it is someone else, maybe they'd be nice enough to let us crash anyway," she grinned to herself wildly, ignoring the eye rolls as she continued forwards. Unlike Gray, she took no caution as she walked casually across the huge concrete path, leading herself towards the giant oak doors and thudding her fists against them.

The lights behind the door flickered on. Gray stood protectively to Cana's side, wondering absently if being in the time-loop for so long had damaged her brain, or even if she'd just been suffering from what must have been a painful seven-year detox from alcohol. But his thoughts fell to the back of his mind as her eyes filled with recognition.

A small woman stared from behind the doorway, seemingly frozen with shock. She was a sweet looking girl, mostly plain looking if not for the fact that she was wearing the kind of maid outfit that seemed more appropriate for entertainment than actual cleaning. She didn't say anything for a few seconds, taking in a slow breath. Before she jumped forwards, grabbing Cana by the stomach and squeezing tightly. "Cana!" The young squealed.

Cana grinned with a 'I told you so' look, enjoying the embrace and her chance to be held by a sexy maid. "Yeah, yeah, we're here. We're here," she greeted her. "You haven't met Gray, have you?"

The girl took a short step back from Cana before turning to Gray. She examined him for a few seconds, as if she was trying to decide what was pieced together from memories and what was hidden only in hearsay, before she bowed her head formally. "I have not. I am pleased to meet you, Gray-sama."

"Oh, god, please don't call me that…." Gray said quickly, feeling all colour quickly draining out of his cheeks.

She seemed confused, but nodded obediently. "Please, come in," she instructed them both as she pushed the door even wider. "You are always welcome here as long as you please."

Gray hesitated, but took a few steps inside.

"He's joking, please call him that. All the time."

"I heard that, Cana," Gray growled, trying his best to ignore the winks and grins that he knew were happening behind his back. Luckily, the building was distraction enough. It took his breath away. There were huge pictures on the walls that seemed lined with gold, a swirling open staircase with highly polished oak banisters running up either side. It was elegant and fine, but there was a smell in the air that didn't seem to fit with the rest, as if the antique appearance had not had time to settle.

"It looks just like it did before!" Cana said in amazement as her own eyes fell around the room. "This is amazing! It must have taken forever!"

The girl nodded, looking proud of herself. "Thank you, I have worked hard to make the place as similar to how it was as I possibly can. The west wing has still not yet been completed, please do not go there yet, but the rest of the house is free for you to explore."

Cana grinned like a schoolgirl, running up the stairs and brushing her hands across the woodwork. "Old fashioned class with a modern feel. Are you getting a hint of where we are yet, Gray?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, following slower. "Cana, I've been here bef-"

"Look at this!" Cana exclaimed as she burst through into the first room that she could find, running in and spinning on the spot. The bedroom was warmed by reds and golds, and wide enough to fill the entire new guild hall inside. It was decorated just as lavishly as the rest of the house, with ornaments and pictures, and furnished by a huge four poster bed, a dressing table, chaise lounge, and a wardrobe that took over half of the wall. Cana immediately ran to the wardrobe, a child on Christmas morning as she threw it wide open. "There must be even more clothes than you have!"

"I don't have that many clothes…" Gray reminded her. Not anymore.

But Cana wasn't listening. Before Gray could even make sense of the rich colours and layers upon layers of fabric, she had dived inside, letting the door roll to a close behind her as she let the selection of clothing swallow her hole.

Gray sighed, letting her get on with…. Whatever she was doing as he continued to look around. It didn't feel right here. He was just waiting for someone to turn around and tell them they shouldn't have been here, even if the maid had been kind enough to let them through. "Cana, you know that this house won't be owned by who it used to be, right?" He asked with a low warning tone. No response. "Do we need to introduce ourselves to the new owners?"

"We already have," Cana called through to him.

He looked confused, before finally realising "…you mean the maid?!"

"Uh huh! She inherited the place when it fell apart. Turns out they won some huge lawsuit because it wasn't supposed to be allowed to stay up as long as it had. She was talking about rebuilding it when I left."

"But… she's a maid?!"

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Gray. She just likes the outfits. Speaking of which…" she pushed open the sliding wardrobe doors just enough to step out, leaning against the side to show off her new dress in all of its glory. What little of it there was. It was revealing, far more so than Cana's usual clothing, but in a way that somehow still felt elegant and sophisticated. The satin red material hugged her chest and hips as if it was made for her, or at least someone as curvy as herself. "What do you think?" She asked, already feeling as if she'd know the answer.

Gray was fairly convinced that he was becoming immune to watching naked women, and blamed Lucy entirely for taking away that joy in life. "I don't think that you should be just trying on other people's clothes, Cana," he scolded her.

"You can't be in such a fine place without them! Besides, our wonderful host wouldn't own so many women's clothes without wanting someone beautiful to fill them out! So, have you guessed who it is yet?!" She asked, her eyes sparkling in delight.

"Cana, I already know-"

Cana ignored him, throwing out a huge "Ta Da!" as she pushed back the rest of the sliding door and revealing their host.

Loke pushed up his glasses, an amused smile written on his face as he looked back at Gray. He was clearly revelling in the surprise from the Ice Maker, not particularly from his attachment to the house, but just how the celestial spirit had managed to hide in the wardrobe. Gray's mouth opened and closed several times as he started to spit out random incoherent questions. Had he been there the whole time? Did he and Cana somehow plan this? Did Lucy know about this? Was he really in the wardrobe with Cana as she got changed?!

The spirit ignored them all, but something about them made him feel more warmth more than he truly understood why. It was… familiar. "You certainly took your time. It's been too long," he finally said simply.

"Too long? You were on Tenrou too, weren't you frozen with us?" Cana paused, looking at Loke in confusion. It felt like only a day since she'd last seen the celestial spirit, but now she was recognising something in his gaze that felt oddly familiar to their nakama back at the guild.

Loke shook his head, patient but with a sense that he didn't particularly want to be. Not after so long. "By the time the spell protected you, I was already in the celestial realm. Stuck, in fact, with no way of knowing what had happened to any of you."

The words dropped heavily into the room. "For seven years?" Gray breathed.

"It felt even longer."

Cana let out a low whistle.

Gray frowned, trying to read if there was any more to the celestial spirit's expression than his words would say. There was definitely something there, hidden behind reflected glasses and wizened looks. Gray couldn't even begin imagine what his friends had been through without them. The remaining nakama had tried to explain the difficulties of losing their comrades, their family, the lifeblood of their guild, but it was a pain that their cheers and relieved gasps hid well. While Loke was more reserved than most, as he usually was unless chasing a woman, he still didn't seem willing to give much more detail to their loss and Gray could only guess that meant it was impossible to put into a way for them to even begin to understand.

He decided, as most of the guild already had, the only way was forwards. "Have you been already caught up with Lucy, then?" He asked.

Loke smiled again, that smile he only seemed to have at the mention of his beloved master. "Of course. She filled me in with what happened to you, and I was finally able to give her Capricorn's key. I believe she'll be spending as much time as possible with the rest of her spirits tonight, so I should be free for your company for as long as you desire."

"I'm not sure if 'desire' is really a word I'd use… But as long as you can supply us with some booze we'll be glad to for a place to crash!" Cana grinned, stepping backwards and moving back into the wardrobe, throwing out random assortments of outfits all around her in flashes of colour.

"It isn't really my place to say, Cana; this isn't my house anymore," Loke had to point out yet again, knowing that his words were falling on deaf ears. "But as long as Angea is comfortable with you staying, I can't exactly kick you out. I hadn't realised you'd gotten close to her."

"She dresses like a sexy maid all of the time, why would I not get close to her?" Cana's voice carried from over the wardrobe, followed by a seemingly victorious cheer before she threw more clothes out of the wardrobe, this time firing the small bundle straight to Gray's chest. "You need to dress up too. This place is too fancy for you to be running around naked."

Gray was about to point out the pure hypocrisy after admiring their host's revealing outfit, but quickly realised she had a point and he had no idea where his clothes had gotten. He let out a defeated sigh instead, glad that while the clothing was far fancier than what he was used to it was at least stylish, even if very much in Loke's style rather than his own. "I hate to think what she needs all these clothes for…" he mumbled, pushing his arms through the shirt.

"Loke, we need booze!" Cana called out.

"I thought that was supposed to be your job?! You bring the drink, I bring my charm."

"New house, new rules, kitty cat!" Cana grinned as she sailed across the room, making herself at home on his bed and watching Gray putting on the silk shirt with an appreciative eye. "You bring it, Gray cools it, I drink it."

"And you were doing so well…" Gray smirked. "How long has it been since your last drink?"

"Seven years," Cana smirked jokingly, before running her hand through her hair. It was clearly surprisingly uncomfortable to joke about, and even saying those two words left a sour taste in her mouth that had an all-too-easy solution. "In all honesty… about a month."

"I must admit I'm impressed," Loke commented, throwing a sideways glance to Gray. "I wasn't sure that you had it in you, but you seem to have managed a lot better than I thought. Are you sure you are ready to break that streak?"

"Absolutely," she said without hesitance. "But speaking of streaking – Gray what the fuck are you doing with that shirt?" Cana questioned, looking back at the clearly struggling Ice Maker.

It was a valid question. He'd managed to get half of the buttons done but the more he put on the more he realised that the luxurious material simply wasn't stretching the way that he was expecting it to. He'd borrowed Loke's clothes a hundred times before and saw no reason why he shouldn't have been able to do so now. "It must have shrunk," he decided, frowning and finally deciding that he was giving up.

Loke laughed and shook his head. "You're getting bigger," he said, casting his own appreciative gaze over Gray's bulging muscles, before moving his eyes over to Cana with the same glance. "Both of you are, in the best of ways. Even if it hasn't been seven years for the two of you, it's still been a long time since we all used to hang out like this."

"I guess it has been a while…" Gray said, sitting down on the bed beside Cana feeling that once again he had been neglecting his friends. He had always known he was going to have to make an effort to keep as close to them as they had once been, but he suspected none of them had suspected just how much effort that would take. It was worth it, but with all being a part of different teams and entirely different worlds, nothing was as simple as it had once been.

"Does that mean that you won't grow, Loke?" Cana asked.

Loke shook his head. "Not unless my master particularly wants me to, and I don't see why Lucy would. After all, I'm already thousands of years old."

"You look good for your age," Gray teased.

"You look terrible for yours," Loke returned with a smug smile, running his hands through his hair. "But then, human aging always seemed so tiring."

Cana fell back on the bed, putting her hands behind her head and staring up at the ceiling. Despite easily making herself at home, she seemed far from relaxed. "That sounds sad," she mused.

"Hm? How do you mean?" Gray asked.

She paused for a moment, taking in the swirling ceiling and running her eyes over where the cracks had been, watching what seemed perfect beauty and expecting it to unveil itself as broken and ready to crumble. "It must be sad for Loke to watch us grow old without him. Every day we're going to age and grow stronger… and then one day get older and weaker. And this isn't the first time you've seen that, is it?" She asked, glancing back to Loke.

He paused in consideration, meeting her gaze for only a moment before letting the reflection of his glasses block their view. "That's an interesting way of looking at it," he said casually as he walked to Cana's side. As he moved onto to the bed between his friends, he gestured for her to raise her head slightly, letting her instead rest her head on his lap as they had done so many times long ago. "I've never really considered it as 'sad' before. If anything, I think it must be sad for you to watch me get left behind."

Cana and Gray both visibly tensed. "L-left behind?!" Gray shouted, louder than he'd expected. "Idiot, we're not going to leave you behind!"

"Not in a standard sense, no, but you'll grow older and I won't," he said, calming Cana by gently brushing back her hair and keeping his eyes straight on Gray for him to see his sense. "There will be ways that you will grow that I won't be able to. You'll have the chance to have families one day and reach an age where maybe, just maybe, you're ready to stop fighting. I will never have those things; I have been a fighting spirit for millennia, but spirits are just different that way. I've never found anything particularly sad about that. It has always made me happy to see my masters over the years achieve so much.

"Even so…" his words began to trail off. His hand stopped brushing Cana's hair. He turned away from Gray, his eyes caught in some distant thought. "I've never known anyone the same way that I know the two of you, and the rest of Fairy Tail. I've grown closer to you by walking on Earthland than I've ever been towards a human. I don't know… how I feel about that."

Cana looked up at Loke, catching the gaze that was hidden so well. The very fact that he wasn't taking the opportunity just to stare at her chest was reason enough to know that he was caught prisoner by these thoughts, distracted for obvious reasons. It didn't take much to piece together that these must have been real concerns running through his head while he didn't know if his nakama were alive or dead for seven long years. She felt the lump in her throat, frowning to herself and announcing. "We're far too sober for this shit. Gray, go get booze."

Gray's eyes suddenly flew open, jumping up to exclaim "Huh?! Since when am I the one to get booze?"

"Since now, idiot!" Cana called back to him. "You're the one who's up!"

Gray ground his teeth together. He wouldn't have been on his feet if she hadn't irritated him that much. "I don't have any money to buy any! You're the ones who know the maid, go ask her for it!"

"She's not a maid, moron, she owns the place," Cana threw him a reproachful glare.

"Although she does still consider myself the master of the house and herself my maid. I guess that old habits die hard…" Loke explained offhandedly.

"Don't tell me you're complaining your Virgo-clone gets too into character," Cana smirked.

"I didn't say I was complaining. Gray, check the cupboard on the left. If Angea really has been trying to keep this place as similar as possible-"

"Hey, you're right!" Gray called out, already pulling the bottle out from the indicated hiding place. He had to worry just how many hiding places like this Loke would have, and if there was a chance of a more secretive alcoholic within their group. The fact that beside it was two glasses quickly dismissed the idea. This would be more than likely to stop situations like this one, where either the guest or host would be forced to leave in search of a beverage. He poured the two glasses, filling both with ice cubes with ease, before cooling the bottle gently and handing it straight to Cana.

"Boscan Devil's Delight; my favourite!" Cana read happily as she sat up to inspect the bottle.

"Every drink is your favourite," Gray pointed out, sitting on the opposite side of Loke.

"Then this is the crème de la crème," she returned, smelling the sickly-sweet liquid and feeling the scent burn away at his nostrils. "Loke, you know me so well!"

"Don't look at me, I haven't been here for years," Loke said, pushing back his glasses to hide the knowing gleam sparkling in his eyes. "I'm just glad that it's here… And I'm glad that you both are too," Loke added.

There was a pause for just a little too long. As if Loke's words held an uncomfortably truth. It wasn't just about a seven year time-skip that had kept them apart for so long, there had been a widening gap that had been spreading Team Pervert further and further apart for a long time. Their had been their own personal trials that they had feared for years would one day break them.

And yet after each and every one they had found themselves back into this spot. Even now, they could still find the time to raise a glass to the old times.

"I will gladly drink to that," Gray agreed, lifting his glass to lightly chink against Loke's.

Cana's grin spread over her face as she knocked her bottle against the glasses. "And I will gladly drink!"

* * *

 **The End**

* * *

 **Thank you everyone for sticking with this fan fiction! This fic has taken me almost 17 months to complete. I still can't believe there are over 50 followers, 40 faves and over 50 reviews on this, you have blown me away!**

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